What Avatar Korra did to win the Championship
by That'sSomeAvatarSmackTalk
Summary: Tahno is a disgusting human being. Korra wants the Fire Ferrets to win the pro-bending championship. She has two options - she could report Tahno to the league and get the finals canceled, or she could strike a seedy deal with the slimiest guy in the city - for a price. One-sided Tahnorra, eventual Makorra. Rating changed to M.
1. Dinner In Republic City

"Your food is getting cold, Bolin," Korra complained, her face pushed into her fist, elbow on the table as she collected some more noodles between her chopsticks, "Can't we just eat without thinking about the finals for once?"

Bolin was busy scribbling on a napkin next to his bowl, ignoring Pabu making short work of his own dinner. "Hold on, you're going to like this one," he insisted, before lifting his pen and sliding the napkin over to the Avatar, turning it so she could see.

Korra looked it over, vaguely paying attention. It was another diagram of a play they could make during the final match of the probending tournament. Bolin continued to hold to his belief that Shaozu, the Wolf Bats' firebender, was weak to waterbending attacks thanks to a hydrophobia caused by a near-drowning as a child. He also held that he was not into exploiting people's fears, but that probending was an every-team for themselves sport, and that the Wolf Bats were rich from their winnings, and that it was the Fire Ferrets' turn to win a little.

"It's pretty good," she admitted with a sigh, "I liked the last one better."

"That one is better," Bolin agreed, "But we need more than one trick. That Tahno is adaptable – he'll see a pattern forming a mile away, so we need to be able to switch it up. I wish Mako were here, he's great at this stuff." Finally, he started to eat his food, not seeming to notice the Fire Ferret ear-deep in his bowl.

Korra glanced down the aisle in the middle of Narook's noodle house, and at the end of it, she saw the team that they were ultimately going to fight, sitting in their booth seat with half a dozen female fans ooh-ing and aah-ing over them. They weren't preparing. She supposed that would make them easier opponents. For a moment, she made contact with the team's creepy waterbender leader – Tahno – and she got a feeling like a slug was crawling up her leg, and immediately looked away, suddenly not hungry.

"Why are we still eating here?" Korra asked, frowning.

Bolin looked up, looking innocently confused. "Authentic Water Tribe grub?" he answered simply.

Korra drew a breath and shook her head. "There's gotta be other places in the city that do good noodles. We should hang out somewhere else, so we can eat without that spider watching us," she shuddered visibly, then made a face.

Bolin was suddenly very animated. "Hey, the day I let a jerk like that push me out of my favourite restaurant is the day I shoot a boarcupine out of my belly button," he jabbed his fingertip into the table forcefully, scowling and pouting as hard as he could.

Korra laughed and smiled at him, then nodded, "You're right. He can choke on his egg rolls for all I care."

Bolin smiled too. "Hey, can you help me with these?" he pushed his bowl toward her, "I'm feeling kind of full."

Korra raised a hand. "No thanks. Pabu's had his nose in there," she wrinkled her nose.

Bolin shrugged and pushed back his chair, getting up. Korra followed suit and grabbed up the napkin next to her bowl, stuffing it into her trouser pocket before making for the door with her earthbending friend.

"Leaving already, Uh-vatar?" Tahno suddenly called across the restaurant, his voice teasing.

Korra froze, clenching her jaw. Before Bolin could stop her, she turned around and countered, "Yeah, your perfume put me off my dinner."

Tahno smirked at her from his booth. "You must be smelling all my fine ladies," he tilted his head tauntingly, and then, much to her distaste, swung his arm around one of his 'ladies', pulled her in, and took a long, dramatic sniff of the woman's exposed neck. "Oh, yeah," he drawled, his voice so … greasy … that it made Korra uncomfortable, "That's nice. But I guess you wouldn't know anything about smelling good."

Korra balled her fists and stomped toward him, but Bolin grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

"Come on, Korra, you don't want to be late getting back to Air Temple Island, right?" he tried, chuckling nervously.

"Ooh, he's right, Uh-vatar," Tahno's brows went up, "Don't want to miss your bed time."

Korra growled loudly, then clenched her jaw and barked out, "Yeah, anything's better than sitting around looking at your ugly face."

Tahno chuckled, a dry sound that made Korra want to hit him. "Mm, well, at least I don't look like I just crawled out of a mud hut," he flicked his hair dramatically.

Korra smirked at him, "Ha, like you could crawl with that silver spoon up your ass."

Tahno's face drooped a little, and Korra was finally ready to go. She spun around and made for the door, Bolin following hastily behind. They got exactly half a block away before they both exploded in giggles and fell against each other laughing.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So, drop me a review, tell me what you think :) Plot's not really underway yet, but that'll be in the next chapter. Thanks for reading!


	2. Surprise in the Changing Room

The Fire Ferrets' next slot for team training was the very next morning. With only two teams left in the running, and the final coming up at the end of the week, nobody else was training, leaving most of the gym timeslots pretty much empty. The Fire Ferrets trained from eight to noon, honing their abilities and trying out their plays, and by the time they had to give up the gym, they were exhausted and sweaty, and looking forward to doing other things.

The probending arena had a changing room for men, and a changing room for women. Sometimes, Korra had to share the women's room with other female probenders, but for the most part, she had it to herself – especially now, since she was the only female probender left in the finals. It was peaceful to have the large space to herself.

Having a hot shower was exactly the answer for her tight muscles, and the water seemed to unwind each part of her as it crossed her skin. She'd first been hesitant to shower at the arena, but after her training had intensified, she honestly couldn't have left the building smelling the way she did. Now, she was glad she was happy to shower here – the showers were much better here than at Air Temple Island. Hotter, with better pressure.

Finally, she turned off the water and stepped carefully on the tile floor, over the lip of the shower cell and into the main changing area. She wiped her wet hands at her eyes, then pushed back her sopping hair and shook her head quickly, shaking off water droplets all over the room. She grabbed her towel from the bench in the middle of the room and went over to her locker.

There was a full-length mirror bolted on the other side of the changing room, and Korra managed to catch her own reflection in it. She was a pleasing shape, she decided with a smile – curves where they counted, killer guns, and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't proud of having bigger breasts than Mako's new girlfriend. She held up and arm and flexed her biceps in the mirror, then grinned.

She took hold of her soft white towel and bent over, drying her hair roughly and quickly, shaking her head into the towel, before flicking upright again and setting about drying off her body, wiping moisture off her thighs and arms first, then putting her feet up on the bench to dry her calves and toes. When she was satisfied, she hung the towel around her neck, ends dangling down over her chest as she pulled on her underwear and trousers.

She was tucking her wet hair behind her ears and untangling her complicated new bra from her pelt laces inside her locker when she was rudely interrupted.

"My, my," a familiarly greasy voice echoed in the changing room, "Breaking news, this just in; the uh-vatar has a great rack. Who'd have guessed?" it teased in a long, drawling voice.

Korra spun around, eyes wide and her cheeks hot, to see Tahno, of the Wolf Bats, striding confidently into the women's changing room. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, and saw the vague shapes of her breasts clearly visible beneath the towel hanging from her neck. Thankfully, her nipples were at least covered – she had some dignity left. She scowled hard at Tahno.

"So you really are a girl," she put her hands on her exposed hips and smirked at him, "I did call it."

Tahno chuckled his smarmy chuckle and ambled toward her. "You are too funny," he cooed, and Korra wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic, but then he gave this strange huffing noise in his throat, and Korra thought he was about to keel over. He smacked his lips, "What are you even doing with the Fire Ferrets, hm? They're losers, but you … no, you and me, we're winners," he narrowed his eyes at her, his lips pursed.

Korra arched her brow at him and then scoffed, "You're so full of yourself. I'm here to play the game, just like everyone else – and you know what?" she frowned at him, "The Fire Ferrets deserve to win this thing." Tahno's expression didn't change. She pressed her lips into a thin line, "They've probably worked harder than you'll ever work in your life."

Tahno tutted, tongue tapping his teeth irritatingly. "You're so noble. I love it," he hissed between his lips, coming closer, "But that'll never happen, you know. You and your little rat friends winning, that is. It doesn't take skill to win. It takes _money,_" he leaned against one of the lockers and seemed to shiver with delight.

Korra stared at him for a moment, then felt her mouth dropping open. "You," she furrowed her brow, "You've been paying off the ref. That's how you keep winning," she realized aloud.

Tahno tilted his head at her. "Mm, it's so naughty, isn't it?" he twittered, eyes fluttering as he tossed his hair, "Don't you want to spank me?" he taunted.

Korra growled and lunged at him. "You snake!" she accused, as he stepped back and away, "I should kick your teeth in! I should report you to the league!"

Tahno laughed out loud. "Oh, you don't want to do that," he chided.

"Oh, I really do," Korra answered, furious.

"No," Tahno raised a lone finger and waved it at her, "You want your friends to get what they deserve. You want them to win. You want them to not wallow in their own tepid poverty," he looked distasteful, then examined his nails. He met her eyes squarely. "You know, I could make that happen."

Korra stood straight, letting her attack stance fall away. She squinted at him, then slowly replied, "What are you talking about?"

Tahno strutted toward her again, confident in her curiosity. "I'm rich. I don't really need to win this year," he got between Korra and her locker, eyes falling from her face to her bare shoulder, to exposed side of her breast, to the curve of her waist, and then the spot where her hip disappeared beneath her trousers. "I don't even want to win this year."

Korra pulled a face, "So why did you even play?" she stood still, not looking where he stood behind her.

Tahno's voice was suddenly right by her ear, cooing distastefully. "I'm here to play the game, just like everyone else," he teased.

Korra grunted, annoyed. "I'm serious," she warned.

His breath tickled her damp cheek as he chuckled, and she turned her head away from it. "I played to get here. Under your skin," he replied, his voice like the hiss of a snake.

"You played a whole season just to creep on me in the shower room?" Korra crossed her arms over her bare chest, evidently unimpressed, even as her cheeks continued to burn, "You know that's pathetic, right?"

Tahno shrugged, his casual clothes rustling as he did so. "I had a little bit more in mind," he gave a single breath that sounded like a half-laugh. "But, if you want to see your friends go back to working two jobs each, that's okay. Championship pot is a big prize – maybe I'll buy a new satomobile," his voice was distant again, and Korra looked around to see him wandering away from her.

"Wait," she said quickly, and he stopped to glance back. She pulled her brows together and idly scratched her own elbow as she watched him. "What do you want?" she asked firmly, lowering her voice.

Tahno's mouth twisted into a grinning curve, and he sauntered back into her personal space – this time, right up in her face. There were only inches between them, and he didn't seem to look like he was going to rectify that. "Go out with me," the words slid from his tongue like they were greased up already.

Korra's eyes widened, and she looked up to meet his eyes without lifting her face at all. "Are you serious? That's it?" she asked, kind of surprised.

Tahno gave a low, dirty kind of grunt in his throat, and Korra crossed her arms tighter over herself. "With a few conditions," he hummed.

Cool, moist palms suddenly landed on her exposed hips, and she jumped back, right into her locker, but she forced herself not to let her disgust show on her face. "Wh-what kind of conditions?" she countered, clearing her throat after hearing herself stuttering.

Tahno's brows jumped suggestively, and he spoke again, in his eternally depraved drawl. "Why don't we talk about that later, hmm?" he purred, raising his hand again, slowly, between them, only inches from her bare chest, and at any moment, Korra thought he mind try to fondle her, "I'll have to buy you a pretty dress, Uh-vatar," he went on, and finally, his fingertip touched the underneath of her chin, and she swallowed nervously as he tipped it upward. His face suddenly angled downward, and without ever stopping looking lustful, he suddenly looked dangerous, "You can wear it tonight, when I take you to Quong's."

Korra blinked at him, then frowned harshly, before blurting out, "We can't do that. We can't be seen together, you know that," she raised a hand and removed his fingertip from her chin. "People will talk. Our teams are about to fight in the final – I would never date another competitor, everyone knows that's the first rule of probending."

Tahno's expression went smug again. He stepped back and then turned toward the exit of the shower room.

Korra felt her heart jump in panic. "Hey, wait!" she called.

Tahno chuckled dryly. "I'll have a dress sent to Air Temple Island for you," he looked over his shoulder, his face slathered in smarmy victory, eyes still roving over her semi-exposed body, "be at Quong's at eight o' clock, uh-vatar, or your little friends can kiss the Championship pot goodbye."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Okay, so now the plot's a little bit underway.** Trigger warning** - this story is filled with **DUB-CON.** If this upsets you, I urge you not to read any more. The last thing I want is to trigger someone.

Just a note, Tahno wants much more than just a date, if you catch my meaning. I'm trying really hard to keep Korra in character without compromising this admittedly self-gratifying plot.

So, drop a review and tell me what you think. Mako is in the next chapter, and I don't want to hold it hostage, but I'd really like to see some reviews on this chapter before I post it. Thanks so much to Saveg1 and Agent Washimgtub, who reviewed the first chapter.


	3. New Dresses and Nosy Firebenders

Korra was going through her airbending katas in the courtyard overlooking the dock of the island when the dress arrived. She was definitely, definitely not waiting for it out here. She certainly didn't mean to take it from the delivery person in complete discretion so that nobody would see her taking it. No. Absolutely not.

She felt kind of bad for chasing the airbender kids away when they'd tried to come and airbend around her, but the last thing she needed was Jinora and Ikki's input on her going out on a date tonight. And technically, it was a date, to any onlookers. She couldn't tell anyone she was doing it so that the Fire Ferrets would win the tournament – if anyone asked, she'd have to tell them that she was just going on a date.

Like she would ever willingly go out with greasy, creepy, icky, gross Tahno.

Korra stopped in her katas to look down at the dock, and saw the delivery man – an unfamiliar middle-aged man carrying a stout box in both hands – making his way up the boardwalk toward where she was standing. Right behind him, stepping off the ferry, another person was coming this way.

"Oh, great," Korra clenched her teeth, recognizing Mako's purposefully indifferent gait, walking her way and carrying a gym bag, a few yards behind the delivery man.

What the hell was he doing here? Their training for the day had been pretty satisfactory, though she wouldn't put it past him to have a beef with something she'd done earlier and come all the way out here to tell her to shape up. His timing was impeccably inconvenient for the young Avatar, but she put on a brave face, deciding she would just have to handle it however she could.

The delivery man got to Korra first. "Delivery for Avatar Korra," the man bowed his head, then extended the box to her. Korra looked past the man and saw Mako approaching, near enough to hear the man speaking to her.

Korra smiled at the delivery man and took the box. "Thanks," she bowed her own head.

The man nodded, then turned around and walked away the way he'd come, walking right past Mako, who stuck his hands in his pockets and gave a brief nod to Korra as he neared. "Who's that from?" he asked curiously, eyeing the box.

Korra was very glad that the box had no label. "Secret admirer, I guess," she replied, then immediately cursed herself mentally. Why couldn't she have said it was from her parents? Or from … well, anything else would've been better. Although, technically, Tahno kind of was an admirer – and she did have to keep that a secret.

Mako looked away as if struggling not to comment, then looked back, "You going to open it?" he asked simply.

Korra furrowed her brow, but kept the curve of her mouth pleasant. "Maybe later. What are you doing here?" she queried, looking him up and down. He looked a bit harried, and she assumed he'd just come from the power plant.

Mako arched a brow at her, features almost suspicious, then exhaled, "You forgot to give me your training gear after practice, and I need to get it to the laundromat before it closes."

Korra shut her eyes and raised a hand to scratch her head. She'd completely forgotten that Mako was washing the team's training gear today. "Sorry," she groaned, "I got sidetracked. Come on," she pointed her thumb over her shoulder toward the temple, "it's in my room."

When they made it to Korra's room, she threw open the door and tossed the dress box onto her bed, kicking away a shirt on the floor into the corner – which was stacked with other items of rumpled clothing. There were still many clothes on the floor and sprawled on furniture, but the path to the closet was now cleared. Mako stood idly in the doorway for a moment while the Avatar went to the closet and pulled it open, then reached down and collected the training gear from the floor of it.

"I thought you said you had people to help you all the time," Mako said thoughtfully, looking around the room.

Korra spun around, helmet under her arm, and frowned at him. "That was at the White Lotus compound. The Air Acolytes aren't my servants," she pointed out.

Mako nodded agreeably, switching the gym bag from one shoulder to the other as he tentatively stepped into the room, avoiding the pair of boots in his path. "Fair enough. You could … do it yourself," he supposed, sounding very careful.

"Yeah, sure," Korra snorted, looking back into her closet, "Between airbending, probending and Tarrlok's task force, I have loads of time for housekeeping."

"Mm," Mako allowed, ambling toward the box on the bed.

Korra was yanking her training vest out from under Naga's saddle, which had been thrown in on top of it earlier, after the young Avatar had given up on trying to repair one of the stirrups, when she heard Mako give a low whistle, and turned around to see him peering into the dress box, a lone finger tilting up the lid. "Hey!" she snapped, "Can't you mind your business?"

Mako flicked off the rest of the lid and reached into the box. He raised his hands, and held up an expensive navy blue dinner dress by the shoulders. Korra's eyes widened as she looked at it, and let an awed breath out of her mouth – it was beautiful. "Some secret admirer," Mako commented dryly, then flipped the dress around and showed Korra the back of it, adorned with an ornate lace dragon pattern.

"Whoa," Korra allowed, then shook her head and shrugged, "Well, I _am_ the Avatar."

Mako then let one corner of the dress droop and reached back into the box. "Matching shoes, too," he noted, but didn't show them to her, instead picking out a small white note and reading stiffly, "'See you tonight, Avatar'." He stopped and flicked his eyes to her. Korra felt her face dropping a little as a nervous, guilty smile crawled onto her face. "Something you forgot to mention, _Avatar?_" he raised his eyebrows.

Korra stared at him for a moment, feeling as though she'd been caught red-handed, then pushed out her chest and put her hands on her hips proudly. "I don't owe you an explanation," she said bluntly.

Mako looked a little annoyed. "Okay, fine," he dropped the dress back into the box, "I don't care if you go on a date with a creepy Avatar stalker," he said dully.

Korra rolled her eyes. "He's not ..." she stopped, and made a face, then sighed, "Look, what I do in my spare time isn't your business."

Mako held up his hands. "Didn't say it was," he answered innocently, before stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Good," Korra replied sharply.

"Fine," Mako agreed.

"Fine!" Korra snapped.

There was a beat of silence.

"So does this guy have a name?" Mako asked.

Korra turned back to the closet. "Um. Lee," she answered.

"Oh right. Lee," Mako didn't attempt to hide his sarcasm, "Wong Lee, no doubt."

"Shut up," Korra struggled not to laugh. "It doesn't matter what his name is."

"It matters if I end up having to call the police because you disappeared with a creepy stalker and don't show up for practice," Mako said seriously.

Korra grunted in exasperation, hauling out the training gear in one heave. "I think I can handle it, Mako," she answered good-naturedly.

Mako exhaled, then looked away and gruffly said, "Be careful."

Korra felt her face relaxing and a warmer smile taking her features. "I will," she promised.

Mako nodded slowly. "Watch your drink," he added, and then went on, "And stay in public."

Korra came over and extended her training gear to him. He took it and started stuffing it into his gym bag. "I know," she affirmed, then reached out and punched him lightly in the arm. She then noticed that they were getting quite cozy, and cleared her throat as loudly as she could. Immediately, he stood up stiffer. "Anyway," she crossed her arms over her chest, "You'd better get those to the laundromat."

Mako nodded dutifully. "Right. See you tomorrow, then," he turned and made for the door of the bedroom.

Korra smiled. "Yeah," she paused, then added, "I'd walk you out, but I should really get ready."

Mako raised a hand in a wave without speaking, and left, closing the door behind himself. Korra sighed heavily. It would be a long, long night – and it hadn't even started yet.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Yay! I love Mako ^_^ I get the feeling that he's so used to worrying about Bolin that he'd take on a sort of protective mom attitude. Also, canon has given us no evidence that he'd be the jealous type, since he's always pretty self-contained when it comes to his emotions. Although, I think in book 4, if Prince Wu has the hots for Korra, that might change. Anyway.

Thank you so much to Pinnney, cracknovelist, Lizaloves, and peste21 for reviewing chapter 2! I hope you guys like this part just as much. _**Please, please, please, if you like this fic, leave a review - even if it's just one word!**_

Also, I do have to reiterate that this is NOT a Tahnorra fic. Most of this story is just Korra having the heebie-jeebies about how gross she thinks Tahno is, and the rest is just conveniently thrown together to facilitate the thin plot. This came from my '_self-gratifying stuff I will never post online_' folder, but then I lost all self control. :3


	4. An Uncomfortable Dinner

It was hard to get to Quong's Cuisine without being recognized. To Korra's advantage, she was wearing something she'd never have picked for herself – a clingy, shimmering silk sleeveless dress in an admittedly gorgeous dark blue. The collar came halfway up her neck, which was reassuring, even though there was a keyhole that threatened to show a little too much if she happened to reach down, and the tight skirt itself only half-covered her knees – and so, tonight, she'd had to shave her legs for the very first time, because of stupid, creepy Tahno. It was a good thing, indeed, that she was a healer.

In the spirit of not being recognized, Korra hadn't been able to take Naga – not that she'd have been able to ride in this new dress, even side-saddle – and so she had taken the ferry, using the whole ride to try to get used to wearing heeled shoes. By the time she'd gotten to the Republic City docks, she'd managed to figure out that she wouldn't look so gawky if she trained herself not to look at her feet while she walked. It would take some practice, evidently.

Not owning a purse, Avatar Korra decided to keep some money she'd earned from probending in between her breasts, as they were conveniently squashed together in the tight dress. She hailed one of the cabs near the dock and asked to be taken to Quong's Cuisine.

The ride wasn't long, but it gave her enough time to reflect on how long she'd been here, in Republic City, and how much of the city's customs were very new and strange to her. Like, riding in a taxi cab. It was still so strange to feel herself moving, and yet, not feel the pounding of an animal's legs beneath her, or feel her own legs pushing her onward. Also, she had no idea why Asami Sato would be considered more desirable than herself here – back home, being pale meant that one was sick, and being thin-boned meant that a woman would struggle to keep weight on during the winter.

In fairness, Korra had caught herself looking Asami over a few times. She was admittedly aesthetically pleasing. It was one of those things she thought she probably ought not tell anyone.

"That'll be thirty two yuans," the driver of the cab said gruffly.

Korra snapped herself out of her daze and smiled thankfully at the driver, reaching as innocently as possible into her cleavage to pull out her money. "Thanks for the ride," she thumbed out the money and handed it over to him, before stuffing her remaining bills back into her dress.

The man nodded and counted the money himself, then looked up and nodded affirmatively to his passenger. "Enjoy your evening," he said in passing.

Korra let herself out of the cab and then watched it take off down the street, before an amazing smell hit her nose and she looked to the restaurant itself. There was an evening chill taking over the night air, but the warm scent of cooking spices seemed to nullify the cold. Inside the building, she could hear glasses clinking and people talking amicably, and faintly, servers calling to one another.

She steeled herself and sighed, before marching into the restaurant as seriously as she could in her new shoes. Inside, there was a carpeted hall, and a man in a fancy suit at a little podium. Behind him, there were some fancy stairs that branched in both directions, heading upstairs. To the right, there was a large archway into the vast dining area. Through it, Korra could see a woman at a table with two men, her back entirely exposed through a huge window in the back of her dress.

"Avatar Korra," the host announced, as soon as he saw her, and she looked to him expectantly, "Let me show you to your table."

Korra smiled and nodded as the man walked into the dining area, with her not far behind. She supposed she should have expected for Tahno to make reservations with her name on them. Actually, she wouldn't really expect for anyone to get a table here without reservations, looking around. The host led her to a quiet corner of the restaurant, where there was a booth table waiting for her – and Tahno waiting at it. Korra felt her muscles stiffening when she saw him, especially noting the way his eyes seemed to study every part of her bar for her face.

Korra sat herself down in the booth and slid in just enough to know that she wouldn't fall onto the floor, afraid that if she got too close to him, Tahno would try to touch her. Then she glanced to Tahno – lounging lazily in his seat and still not meeting her eyes, apparently riveted on her cleavage. She then looked over to the host, who was standing over the table.

"Would you like to order drinks now?" the man asked genially.

Tahno managed to tear himself away from Korra's breastage and looked up with one of his famously greasy smirks. "Yes. We'll have a bottle of your best red," he decided aloud, raising a hand and flipping his hair dramatically.

"A very fine choice, sir," the man bowed his head and then walked away.

Tahno looked back to Korra with a satisfied look on his face. "Good to see you again, Uh-vatar. I almost thought you wouldn't show," his eyes flicked down to Korra's dress again, but had the decency to at least look away after a second, "You clean up nicely," he commented, his voice low and somewhat whispery.

Korra fought the impulse to thank him for the compliment, when she remembered that it was in fact an off-handed insult to her regular appearance. "You smell like a girl," she said simply, looking around the restaurant at all the different people.

"And you finally look like one," Tahno countered, still amused. She shot him a glare, but it didn't put him off. Instead, he took a long inhale that reminded her of the previous night at Narook's, and then groaned out – thankfully quietly, "Mm, you smell like one too."

Korra felt her ears heating up, but consoled herself with the fact that it was probably just her blood vessels starting to burst in indignation. She sat straighter and then levelled him a serious look. "You said you had some conditions, with our deal," she began calmly, then glanced around a little bit nervously. She didn't really like talking about this out in public. She lowered her voice and hastily leant toward him. "I have a condition of my own," she hissed.

Tahno was still for a beat, then leant into her personal space, so quickly that Korra almost thought he'd headbutt her. Instead, he put his lips close enough for his breath to catch in the shell of her ear and make her shiver. "I hardly think you're in the position to be making demands," he whispered lewdly. Once he was finished speaking, he remained there for a moment, like she had invited him to be this close.

Korra pulled back and scowled at him. "Hear me out," she said firmly, but she wasn't entirely sure that he would.

Tahno sat straighter and pursed his lips at her, features pinched curiously. Then he smirked and gave a short laugh, as though she were a pet monkey-dog that had just done a backflip. Finally, he murmured, "What do you want?" in as lascivious a manner as he probably could.

Korra was a little heartened at this, and with a breath, she replied, "A fair fight. That's all. No ..." she looked around, hunched her shoulders and then uttered, "No bribes, no cheating, no throwing the match. All I want is a chance for us to win, fair and square," she set her features.

Tahno's expression lifted, as though he were pleased, and then he gave a sigh and hopped up in the booth for a moment to scoot closer to her. Korra made a face, but didn't move, waiting for his answer. He put one elbow on the table in front of them and leant onto it. "Done," he said quietly. Immediately, Korra felt herself relaxing. His smirk turned almost genuine.

Korra was about to thank him, forgetting that she'd basically been forced to come out here, but he spoke before she could.

"Now," Tahno drawled intently, and leant back again, "Why don't we enjoy our date?" the words rolled from his tongue almost too easily for Korra, like his very speech embodied laziness.

Korra rolled her eyes, but a moment later, a waiter was coming over, holding a black glass bottle with a vintage label on it by the neck, and two glasses in the other hand. The waiter stopped opposite them, put the glasses down and then uncorked the bottle ceremoniously, before pouring into each glass. He told them to enjoy, and then walked away stiffly. Korra reached for her glass and promptly brought it to her nose to smell. It smelled sweet, and at the same time, dusty and dry.

"Tell me, what does the Uh-vatar usually drink?" Tahno asked lazily, sounding vaguely curious as he took his own glass and sipped casually from it, as though he'd been drinking this sort of wine for years. Idly, Korra wondered how old he really was. He could easily have been five years her senior, for all she knew.

"Honestly?" Korra asked aloud, and he seemed much more tolerable while he was half-focused on his drink, instead of watching her like a predator, "I don't. Or, I haven't had the chance to. I live with monks," she pointed out simply, and then shrugged a little. Finally, she brought the glass to her lips and took the tiniest sip, letting the wine sit on her tongue for a moment. She swallowed and noticed a slightly differing after-taste. "Hm."

Tahno gave a short little laugh. "You seem surprised," he noted, sounding amused.

"Yeah, I'm not really sure what all the fuss is about," Korra remarked, brow going up. "Everyone in Republic City thinks drinking is so amazing. I don't see what's so great about it."

The Wolfbats' waterbender looked slightly affronted for a beat, but then shrugged. "I have a question," he suddenly queried, tilting his glass idly, and then flashing his pale eyes to Korra's. "Is this your first date?" the corner of his mouth curled in smug suspicion.

Korra didn't really think of this as a date. He could think of it as one all he wanted, but she would never seriously go on a date with him – and not just because he was in the Wolfbats. He was also incredibly creepy, totally spoiled, rude, annoying, insulting, privileged, had no sense of boundaries, and liked to refer to her friends as rats. Also, she didn't really like his face. She knew that she could never be attracted to the dumb hair and symmetrical features.

And even if it were a date, it wouldn't be her first. She'd gone on a date with Bolin just last week. It had turned out terribly, but it had been a date.

"Please," Korra snorted to herself, "This isn't a date. This is babysitting," she took another sip of her drink, a little braver, and inadvertently sipped a little too much. She froze and choked it down, trying to appear casual.

Tahno seemed to preen at this, looking like he'd just been invited to a fancy party. "Ha. You're not going to put me in the naughty corner, are you?" he teased, his voice low and husky.

Korra glanced at him and then smirked. "You had a 'naughty corner'?" she taunted back, then chortled smugly, "Wow, you really are spoiled."

Tahno arched his brow. "And what did you have?" he pressed.

"When I messed up, I got a smack, and I got sent to bed without dinner," she answered with a nod of approval, "And I turned out great."

Tahno scoffed aloud. "Oh, you think so?" he looked her over condescendingly, "You don't even know how to do your own hair in more than one style."

Korra was a little offended. She had tried to do her hair in a different style tonight, but had ultimately failed and thrown it up the way she regularly did. Still, she didn't show her affront. "I know seven ways to strangle a man," she countered simply.

"That's hot," Tahno moaned suddenly under his breath, just loud enough for Korra's cheeks to burn bright red, and for the people at the table next to theirs to turn around and look appalled.

Korra's shoulders climbed up to her ears and she snapped out, "You're gross," while fighting the urge to shudder.

Tahno chuckled throatily and nudged himself a little further into her space, close enough for his thigh to touch against hers. "Are you into that?" he teased huskily.

Korra clenched her fist at her side, and nearly crushed her glass in the other hand in her frustration. "Maybe we should order," she decided bluntly.

The night wore on.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** There it is. Chapter 4 - Dinner with Tahno! I still love that little end bit, with him being so deliciously lewd. To this day I wish there had been more Tahno in book 1, and I loved that he popped up again in the Legend of Korra game.

Thanks to Pinnney, peste21, shadowedstormy and Lizaloves for reviewing chapter 3! Let me know what you think of this part! :D

**Please, if you like what you read, leave a review**!


	5. The Deal becomes Clear

Korra was starting to feel a little bit dizzy and warm, which she guessed had something to do with the wine Tahno had ordered. She couldn't be sure exactly how much she had had – he had kept filling her glass back up before she could finish it. In hindsight, she thought maybe she should have taken her glass away and let him pour the wine all over the table.

Thankfully, the dinner part of the 'date' was over – Tahno was walking her back to the ferry. It was a cool night, and he'd been decent enough to take off his jacket and let her wear it over her dress. The Avatar's legs were still cold, but it was better than nothing.

When they reached the dock, Korra saw that the ferry was across the water, near Air Temple Island, and that it would take a good quarter hour for it to get back to this side. She glanced over to Tahno and saw him leaning against the railing of the concrete dock, eyes glinting in the dull moonlight, wholly fixated on her. "You should wear your legs more often," he drawled appreciatively.

Korra looked down at her legs and thought, for a moment, that he was right. Then she looked back up and arched a brow at him. "Sure, I'll just break out a dancing dress next time I have airbending practice," she answered slowly, cursing the alcohol in her system. Distractedly, she actually supposed airbending would look great in a swishy gown. She leant against the rail a few feet away from him.

Tahno drew a hissing breath, then in a rumbling tone, decided aloud, "Well, now I know where to take you tomorrow night."

Korra's eyes flashed in vexed surprise. "What?" she snapped loudly.

Tahno smirked, evidently self-satisfied. "You didn't think I'd let you win the tournament for one measly date, did you, uh-vatar?" he narrowed his eyes tauntingly.

Korra clenched her teeth and bared them angrily, then grunted out a breath and glared at him. "Just for the record," she growled irately, "What exactly is our deal? Because if you're going to change the rules every five seconds, you can _forget _it," she swiped a hand across the cool night air and then bunched a fist in his direction.

Tahno's smirk broke open to reveal a set of perfectly symmetrical white teeth, and a pink tongue that seemed to make an appearance solely for the purpose of making her uncomfortable. "I'm so very glad you asked," he replied, sounding delighted as he stood upright and paced toward her, weight shifting heavily onto each hip as he walked, as though he couldn't decide which way he wanted to lean. When he was suitably invading her space, face inches from hers, he hummed out, "Give me what I want."

Korra piled as much disdain as she could onto her face, even as she wavered slightly on the tides of her wine. "And exactly what is that?"

Tahno managed to lower his mouth even closer to her cold skin, and then rasped out, "You," with a slight chuckle in his voice, "Be mine until the final." He let out a long breath against her cheek, leaning in and brushing the corner of his lower lip against it. It felt almost pleasant, except that it was Tahno doing it.

She remained still for a moment, then turned her head away. "You're going to have to be more specific," she kept her voice low, even as her mind ran circles, contemplating exactly what it was that he might want from her – though she had a feeling he had been hinting at it all evening.

Tahno took hold of her arm through the jacket she was wearing over her toned arms and pleasant curves. She pulled against his light grasp for a moment, but he simply came with it and put a foot of his own between hers, leaning into her. She felt his thigh pushing between her own, and hard muscles beneath his suit shirt and vest pressing on her breasts. Her mouth went dry and she swallowed a hard chunk of her own self-esteem to keep herself from punching Tahno in the mouth. He slid an arm around her back and pulled her even closer.

"I think you know what it is I want," he suddenly yanked her as close to his body as he could, and for a disgusting moment, she could feel him pressing against her inner thigh almost threateningly. She let go of the rail with one hand and pushed against his chest with it uncomfortably.

Korra suddenly cleared her throat, avoiding Tahno's icy eyes. "Maybe the Fire Ferrets can beat you, cheating or not," she suggested, hopeful and countering all at once.

Tahno was still for a moment, then breathed a laugh that rocked both his body and hers, through proximity. "Maybe," he allowed, pulling back a little. Then, the pad of his cold, sweaty thumb was on the front of her chin, his long white fingers curled underneath and tilting her face up to his. "Maybe not," his eyes widened momentarily at her, a warning.

There was a long moment where he simply watched her, like a the cat that got the cream. She considered her options … and then decided.

Korra set her jaw firmly and brought her brows right down. "For the record," she grit out, even though she could feel her hands starting to shake and her ears burning, part in rage and part in utter mortification, "You repulse me," she wrinkled her nose and let her eyes look over his angular, pretty-boy face, "You are a disgusting person, and I want to kick your head in, and-,"

Tahno's lips immediately curved in delight, and his fingers gripped her chin tight, before he descended on her lips. The remainder of her sentence died in his slick, wine-flavored mouth as a muffled gasp of shock. Korra pushed against his chest, this time with both hands, but then, face scrunching in abject disgust, balled her hands into fists and stopped trying to push him back. So he wanted to have her.

Fine.

Kissing him felt wrong, though. At first, she thought it might be because she'd only kissed Mako before, and that had just been that one time that ended in disaster. Tahno was slipping his tongue right into her mouth, and that alone made her think of what he'd been implying all evening with his innuendos, and Mako had been … different. Slower, and less greedy. Mako's kiss had been attentive. But no, there was just nothing pleasant about Tahno crushing his lips on hers and lapping at the inside of her mouth without any sort of rhythm or care. Korra squeaked in surprise as Tahno suddenly pulled back and caught her lower lip in his teeth, pinching down on it. She sucked in a breath of air as he let go of her mouth, thankful to not be linked to his face any longer.

He latched onto her again, thankfully not on her lips. This time, Tahno captured the skin of her neck in his mouth and licked and sucked sloppily on her pulse. Korra winced at the pressure, tilting her head away so his cheekbone wouldn't bump her jaw. His hands clutched her tight to him, unwilling to let her go, and Korra felt her breaths coming quicker, claustrophobia setting in.

A moment later, he was breathlessly extricating himself from her and ambling back, seeming a little dizzy. Korra herself dropped her hands down and grabbed the railing she was leaning against, if only to hide the fact that her arms were trembling. Her knees were shaking too, but that was harder to hide. She fixed her eyes on Tahno, as though afraid he might pounce on her again. She watched him lick his lower lip and give long groan that made her stomach clench disagreeably.

"Mmm," he breathed out his delight, "you taste good, uh-vatar."

Korra stared at him, trying to think of an insult. Her jaw clamped shut and her lips felt cold and wet, and somehow used. She merely breathed in slowly, and then out shakily.

Tahno reached up and then flicked his hair with a satisfied smirk. "Well then," she said simply, before turning away and looking over his shoulder as he walked away, "until tomorrow night," he waved two fingers as he went, then tucked his hands into his trouser pockets.

The Avatar watched him walk away for almost a minute, before he turned a corner out of her sight. Finally she let go of the railing and wrapped one arm around her middle, wiping at her mouth with the other. She cringed and twisted her features, before spitting at the ground, as though that would undo the horrid experience of letting a loser like Tahno kiss her. She thought, for a very long while, that this was a terrible deal, and that she should just tell Mako and Bolin that Tahno was a cheat.

She imagined never seeing Tahno again, and the thought put her at ease immediately.

Then she thought of a long investigation, and the finals being canceled. She thought of the brothers losing their chance at a better life. She rubbed a shaking hand at a leaky eye and sniffed hard. She was tough. She could do this.

A bright light shone against her side, and she looked up to see the ferry floating alongside the pier.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** And there's chapter 5, done ^_^ So, now you see the plot shaping up - basically, Tahno wants to bone Korra. Also basically, Korra's gonna let him. Or is she? Haha, now I'm just playing with you.

So now I have a question. Should I keep the story rated T, and just tone down the inevitable sexy stuff so it's in line with that, or should I change the rating to M and really go for it? Decisions, decisions!

Thanks again to the lovely Pinnney, the fantastic Lizaloves, and the brilliant peste21, for leaving reviews on chapter 4!

**If you like what you've read here, please leave a review!**


	6. Late for Practice

Korra woke up with a mild hangover, to the sound of polite knocking on her bedroom door. She groaned loudly and raised her hands to her head, threading her fingers through her hair, which was still in ponytails from the night before. She took a long breath in and found her lungs constricted, and realized she was still wearing Tahno's dress. Slowly, she pushed herself into a sitting position, smacking dry lips together. When she was up, she saw that she was sitting sideways on her bed, still wearing one shoe.

Vaguely, she remembered getting in last night, marching into her room and falling face-down onto her bed, fully meaning to just rest her eyes for a moment and then change into her pajamas. Evidently, that hadn't happened.

"Korra?" asked Jinora from the other side of the door, "Are you awake?"

Korra rubbed her face tiredly and gave a quiet moan of discomfort, clicking her neck to one side. "Yeah, Jinora. I'm up," she answered simply.

"Daddy said to wake you up because someone called Bolin called and said you were late for probending practice," Jinora explained.

Korra gasped and threw her eyes to the clock on her dresser. She was late! She was already an hour late! "Uhh, thanks! I'm up now!" she kicked off the remaining shoe on her foot and got up awkwardly, hands deftly unhooking the numerous clasps that ran up the front of the dress. She shimmied out of it and then held it up, snapping it by the shoulders. It was a nice dress – she didn't want to ruin it.

"I'll call back and tell them you're on your way, shall I?" Jinora offered helpfully.

"Yes!" Korra called out, "Yes, great! Thanks, Jinora!" she answered, sticking a hanger into the dress haphazardly and swinging open her closet door to hang it up inside.

After frantically undoing her hair, roughly brushing it out and expertly redoing it, she grabbed a clean blue top and tugged it on over her head, careful not to screw up her hair again. She grabbed a pair of pants and pulled them on, while trying to undo the knot of her waist pelt with her teeth and failing miserably. Once she was dressed, she pulled on a pair of socks and stuffed her feet into her boots, before running at her window, throwing it open and then leaping out.

Usually, she would take the stairs like a civilized person. Today, she was in a hurry.

It was a several-story drop from Korra's window, but she reached for the ground and pulled up as she fell. It rose up to meet her, softening as it did into mud. Her feet touched the dirt as it came up, and then she skidded down the slope she'd created, rolling down and over her back to regain her footing. She stopped, turned and flattened out the rockslide she'd bent, hoping nobody would notice, before running down toward the pier.

As she ran, she heard pounding footsteps and heavy breaths coming up behind her, and looked back to see Naga running after her. She grinned as the polar-bear-dog ran up alongside her, and Korra grabbed a hold of the saddle and threw herself up at full-speed, flipping up into the seat and grabbing up the reins. "Thanks, girl," she patted the animal breathlessly, as Naga's feet stepped off the island's stone and onto the wooden pier onto Yue Bay.

At the end of the pier, Naga leapt into the water, and Korra held her breath for a minute. A moment later, they broke the surface again, and Korra dug her feet into the stirrups, releasing the reins.

"Hang tight, Naga," she raised her arms up and bent the water alongside them, creating a wave to spur them onward. She had done this a few times with Naga before, but it must still have been a strange sensation for the animal, because Naga would stir uncomfortably under Korra whenever they did it. Korra felt guilty, but she was already late.

It took several minutes to get the arena, where it extended out over the water on its own boardwalk. Korra let the wave splash away and Naga paddled happily for a moment while Korra collected a whirlpool beneath them. The whirlpool pushed up under Naga's belly, firing them up out of the harbor and over the boardwalk. Some people shouted and dodged out of the way, as Naga landed heavily on the solid footing, Korra gripping onto the saddle for dear life as she did. The whirlpool then splattered over them, soaking Korra's clothes and Naga's fur, but the Avatar was already dismounting and running toward the arena's main entrance.

"Naga, stay!" she called, and looked back to see her polar-bear-dog sitting neatly a few paces from where they'd landed.

Korra raced through the halls and up several stairs before throwing open the gymnasium doors and skidding in.

Mako and Bolin had already started, not having waited for her, both in their gear, but they paused when she ran in, huffing for breath, soaking wet. Bolin held an earth disc hovering above his shoulder, and turned to smile when he saw his friend. "Korra!" he greeted happily, "Where've you been?"

Korra tried to speak, but all that came out was a huff for air. She held up a lone finger to signal that she needed a moment. She bent over and put her hands on her knees, wheezing a little.

"Sorry," Korra breathed, "I'm late... I over … overslept," she stood up, putting her hands in the crook of her back and steadying herself.

Mako gave her a somewhat skeptical look, then moved over to the benches by the wall and unzipped his gym bag, pulling out her training gear. "Looks like your date went well," he said dryly, carrying the suit toward the young Avatar. Korra made a face of confusion.

"Date?" Bolin asked suddenly, "What date? Korra went on a date?" he questioned, looking from Mako to Korra.

Korra rolled her eyes and took the gear that Mako handed to her. "It was just dinner," she stated simply.

Mako gave her a disbelieving look, then smiled a little patronizingly. "Okay," he allowed amicably, then turned away and added, "Your dinner gave you a huge hickey on your neck, though. Your collar isn't hiding it."

Korra swiped a hand up to her neck and clapped her palm over it. She growled under her breath. Stupid Tahno and his gross … ugh. She hung her shoulders and glared at the back of Mako's head. Then she let her embarrassment play on her face with a sigh, and dropped her hand. She'd have to have a look at it in the changing room. "Thanks for telling me," she answered at a grumble.

"No problem," Mako said simply, sounding amused, turning back to look at her.

Korra pressed her lips together. "You enjoy my suffering, don't you?" she asked bluntly.

Mako only smirked.

Bolin came over with a genuine smile and put a hand on her shoulder. "I think it's great that your date went well," he said kindly, and Korra was a little touched, partly because she knew how much Bolin liked her. She smiled back at him. "For his sake, I hope this guy took you somewhere nice," the earthbender pointed a finger at Korra questioningly.

Korra managed a smile. "We went to Quong's," she answered calmly, enjoying Bolin's enthusiasm.

"And he paid?" Bolin asked, still putting on sternness.

Korra chuckled. "Of course."

Bolin nodded and then smiled, before patting her on the back. "Anyway. Go get changed – we came up with a new play idea we need to go over."

Korra saluted and then ran off to the changing rooms.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Okidoke, here you guys go! I don't know how I feel about Mako's place here, but I really enjoyed writing it.

Thanks to Pinnney and Lizaloves for reviewing chapter five!

**Please, if you enjoy this story, leave a review! Even if it's just one word! Thanks :D**


	7. Another Dress for another Date

Korra kept looking over her shoulder while showering after training. It was hard to relax, knowing Tahno wasn't afraid to come in here – harder still with the russet bruise on her neck a glaring reminder of just how badly he wanted to touch her. The very thought made her nervous, even as she tried her hardest to relax under the hot pulse of the water. She couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, the thought of greedy eyes on her bare skin.

She shuddered and washed herself quickly, shaking out her hair under the flow and then switching off the water. She bent away the water droplets on her skin and sent them splattering to the tile, before stepping carefully toward the raised lip of the showers and then peering around the wall into the communal changing area. It was empty.

With a sigh, Korra stepped out and grabbed her towel from the bench, fighting the urge to wrap it concealingly around herself, instead tipping her head upside down, bending over to do so, and quickly rubbing her hair dry. When she flicked herself upright, she was facing the door of the changing room, and watched it for a moment. She grit her teeth at her own apprehension, then turned to her locker and pulled it open.

There was an envelope inside the locker.

Korra's eyes widened and she suddenly looked back to the changing room door, an arm coming up to hide her breasts. There was no one there, but she still felt intruded upon. She'd put her clothes in her locker before getting in the shower, and the envelope hadn't been there – someone, presumably Tahno, had been in here while she'd been showering, and she hadn't even heard them. She threw down her towel, grabbed her clothes and pulled them on hurriedly, before she grabbed the envelope inside her locker and tore it open.

Inside, there was a note, and a locker key.

_'There's a present for you in locker 52. Wear it tonight, and have someone do your hair, for crying out loud - I thought you didn't want anyone to recognize you. Dragonfly Bar, downtown – 9pm. Don't be late, Avatar,' _the note read, but Korra couldn't help but read her title in Tahno's greasy, lazy drawl; _Uh-vatar. _She made a face and took the locker key out of the envelope, turning it thoughtfully.

A very small part of her felt quite excited that Tahno may have bought her a new dress. She really liked the other one... She shook her head. If she liked dresses now, she should get her own dresses. Wearing his dresses was weird; it reminded her of her mother's betrothal necklace – a symbol that she was taken. Anxiously, Korra decided that she would only wear what he told her to wear until their deal was sealed – and then she would burn anything he'd bought for her. Or, better yet, donate it to charity.

There were only five days left until the final. She worried her lower lip, remembering what it was that Tahno had said last night – that he wanted her to give herself to him. That could only mean that before the final, he fully intended to have sex with her. Probably not tonight though, she hoped. He would have said in his note if she needed to prepare for … that.

Korra drew a breath and looked around the locker room until her eyes settled on fifty, fifty-one, and then fifty-two. It was almost directly opposite her own locker, and she hopped over the bench to go to it, extending the key and slipping it into the lock. She turned the key, and opened the door.

Inside, there was a shiny, jet black satin dancing dress – like something she'd seen on a poster on Broad End, the theater district. Ever thoughtful, Tahno had once again included a pair of matching shoes, sitting at the bottom of the locker. The dress was hung carefully on a hanger from the top of the locker, and didn't look like it would cover very much leg. If she was lucky, it would cover her hips and a few inches of thigh, but everything below that was made up of long silky tassels with shimmering beads on the ends. Korra reached for the hanger and took it down to examine. She wouldn't have thought she'd be allowed to wear a dress like this in public – but that seemed to be what Tahno was expecting.

Evidently, Tahno had taken her comment about dancing very seriously the other night.

The Avatar sighed and hopped back over the bench toward her own locker, grabbing her backpack and pulling it open. The dress would probably wrinkle in there, but she knew a waterbending trick for fixing creases. She lowered it in, then grabbed her training gear from the bench and shoved it in on top. Once she had everything she needed, she shut her locker and threw her backpack over her shoulder, marching out of the changing room.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Another changing room scene - not as suggestive as the last one, but there's always hope ;) D'aww, I really can't wait for Mako to find out about all of this - it's killing me. Also I love Bolin.

Okay, so I've made my decision about the rating. It gets pretty raunchy even before the sex, so I'm going to go ahead and change it to an M - if only because it's a sex-oriented story. So, prepare yourselves - _smut is coming._

Thanks so much to LaughingSenselessly, peste21 and Pinnney for reviewing chapter 7!

**If you like this story, please leave a review!**


	8. Preparing for another Date

Korra had no idea what she would say if one of the acolytes – or even worse, one of the airbender kids – spotted her in the black dress. The blue one from last night had been pretty tight and cheeky, but this one was downright inappropriate. The fabric of the skirt was tight around Korra's hips, barely covering her backside, and the neckline on this one was much lower than the Avatar was used to. She had seen other girls in the city with necklines low enough to show real cleavage, so she supposed hers wasn't too bad. Still – she was used to wearing shirts that covered at least half her neck.

Thankfully, Korra still had the trench coat Mako had given her as a disguise when they'd gone to save Bolin from the equalist rally. It was in pretty good nick, so she pulled it on over her dress and thanked the spirits for small favors.

Now, all she had left to do was sort out her hair. It was currently draped on her shoulders – she had already tried to fix it in a new style several times, but her hands were not experts at hair styling or braiding. This had brought her to Pema and Tenzin's bedroom door. Tenzin was still at a long council meeting, so it would only be Pema inside. It was half-past eight, and they'd eaten just over an hour ago.

The Avatar raised a hand, drew a breath, and knocked.

"Just a minute!" Pema's voice was muffled by the door.

Korra waited a moment, listening as she heard small grunting noises and exerted breaths, presumably as the heavily pregnant acolyte clambered to her feet from a sitting position. Not very long later, the door opened inward, and she was greeted by a smiling Pema. "Hi, Pema," she smiled nervously.

Pema smiled back, then looked at Korra's coat. Then she looked down and saw Korra's bare legs and black dancing shoes. Then she looked up and gave a knowing grin. "So that firebender boy finally got the courage to ask you out, did he?" she asked, lowering her voice conspiratorially.

Korra's nervous smile faltered, then she laughed awkwardly. "Not exactly. But, um … I do have a date. Not with Mako, though," she clarified, before clearing her throat anxiously. Pema looked slightly confused, but then continued smiling. Korra breathed a sigh, reaching across herself to scratch her elbow. "I was wondering if you could do something with my hair," she asked hopefully.

Pema nodded immediately, "Oh, sure, sure, come on in," she stepped back and gestured for the young Avatar to come in, "There's a vanity by the window. I'll get a comb and some clips," she patted Korra on the shoulder as she entered.

Korra went to the vanity table and sat herself down, examining herself in the mirror. Her face was already tinted pink, which she attributed to the incredibly tiny dress she was wearing. The hickey on her neck was still pretty obvious. Korra pulled up the collar of her coat to hide it, but guessed Pema would notice it in a minute. She could only hope that Pema wouldn't mention anything to Tenzin. He meant well, but he could get a little protective of her. He'd probably blow a gasket if he found out about her deal with Tahno.

"Here we go," Pema said, returning with a very pretty, expensive-looking comb made of some white, ivory-like substance. Knowing the acolytes, though, it probably wasn't ivory. Pema sank the wide-set teeth of the comb into Korra's thick hair, teasing it down and through the tresses gently. A wave of calm swept over Korra. "It's very exciting, your first date," Tenzin's wife commented warmly, carefully untangling the knots in the Avatar's hair.

Korra hummed in vague agreement, enjoying the feel of her hair being combed. It reminded her of being a child, of her mother brushing her hair before bed. "It's not really my first date," she admitted absentmindedly.

Pema continued combing Korra's hair calmly, conversationally answering, "Oh? I miss these things sometimes," with a wave of a hand, "So much going on all the time."

Korra smiled distractedly, focusing on the tingling of her scalp as the comb moved through her hair. "Tell me about it. This probending final ..." she paused, tensed a little, then allowed, "there's been a lot to think about. With training, and mapping our our plays, that is," she explained hastily.

Pema nodded – Korra saw it in the mirror's reflection. "Yes, I can imagine. It'll be nice for you to get away from it all tonight," she smiled affectionately, leaning forward and putting the comb down on the vanity, holding Korra's hair up with the other hand. "So how long-," Pema paused suddenly.

Korra froze. Stupid Tahno and his stupid hickey.

Pema suddenly cleared her throat and hesitantly returned to pinning Korra's hair up in a classic bun. "Erm, Korra, where did you get that little … mark, on your neck?" Pema asked, sounding a little uncomfortable.

Korra felt her ears turning red and her muscles winding tight, beginning to panic a little. "Uh," Korra started, reaching up to touch her fingers to the mark, "I, well, you know how, teenagers are?" she tried helplessly, eyes finding Pema's in the mirror. The Avatar's entire face looked tragic and desperate as she spoke.

Pema's soft features suddenly turned very stern, and the young Avatar thought that the acolyte looked very much like her husband in that moment. "Yes, I know how teenagers are," she agreed, her voice low and warning, "I know some kids your age might think it's cool to have love bites, but it's ... really quite unseemly. Do you understand what I'm saying?" she sighed, hoping she wasn't coming off as too harsh.

Korra smiled modestly. "You're saying that as the Avatar, I should be better than this," she gestured vaguely to her neck.

Pema's features softened. "I'm saying that as a girl, you should be very careful in what you let your date do. Some boys think that because you let them hold your hand, they're allowed to kiss you. And then they think that if they're allowed to kiss you, they're allowed to do … other things," she made a face to explain what she meant, before settling the last clip into place in Korra's hair.

Korra made a face as though the thought of sex had never occurred to her. "Right. Thanks, Pema," she said earnestly.

Pema smiled agreeably, then stepped back. "Your hair's done," she said, sounding quite pleased. Korra turned her head in the mirror from side to side, then stood up and turned to the acolyte. "You look lovely," Pema added, but then her face went stern again. Korra's face went slack. "Now, listen Korra. Listen very carefully," she came near and put her hands on the Avatar's shoulders.

"I'm listening," Korra said nervously.

Pema stared gravely into Korra's eyes. "Don't ever tell Jinora or Ikki that I let you go on a date. I told them they're not allowed to date until they're thirty."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Aww, I love protective pseudo-family scenarios. Just a quick little interlude before the date of dancing doom. I hope you liked this chapter!

Many thanks to Pinnney, LaughingSenselessly and Guest for reviewing chapter 7!

**If you liked this chapter, please leave a review!**


	9. The Dragonfly Bar

Everything about the downtown area was seedy and imposing. The buildings were tall, and yet they looked as though they'd been thrown together by an earthbender with a paintbrush. The streets were paved, dull and grey, with cigarette butts scattered all over. The people, as they walked, spoke in a different tone to the voices Korra usually heard in the light of day in this city – a tone that implied all things the night was known for; drinking, fighting, crime and sex.

The Dragonfly bar was on a narrow street that would've been quiet if not for the bar itself. The street was crowded with people waiting outside smoking and chattering, and there was a bouncer in the doorway who looked like he didn't want to let anyone into the building. There was loud jazzy music pouring out of every window, along with laughter and shouting. Korra stood at the other side of the street, unwillingly breathing in the swirling smoke from the people outside the bar, wondering if she should wait outside for Tahno, or if he was already inside.

As nine o clock neared, she decided to wait inside for him, and crossed the street as confidently as she could.

The bouncer seemed to inflate as she came near, and when she stopped in front of him, he looked her up and down very sternly, blocking the door. "Gonna need some I.D, darlin'," he crossed his arms over his burly chest, but his tone seemed quite amicable.

Korra made a face at him, wishing she had a newspaper. Having said that, she didn't know how old she was supposed to be to get into a bar in Republic City. She opened her mouth to admit that she didn't have any identification, but could he please let him in because the fate of her friend's lives rested heavily on whether she got into the bar, when the man suddenly leaned in and looked her over again.

"Oh, wait. Hold on, I didn't recognize you for a minute," the man suddenly looked apologetic, before stepping back and out of her way, "My apologies, Avatar Korra," he gestured through the doorway and into the bar.

Korra smiled very quickly at the man. "Thanks," she stepped up into the building before looking back and quietly adding, "Er, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone I was here," very hopefully.

The bouncer smiled and raised a hand to his mouth, making a zipping motion.

Korra bounced on her toes, pleased, forgetting her heeled shoes for a moment, and then turned around and trotted into the bar.

Inside, the Dragonfly bar was dimly lit and heavily crowded. There was an actual bar one end of the long room, with a few people sitting at it, but the rest of the space was filled with loud jazz and enthusiastic dancers. Korra wasn't sure whether or not to be relieved that many of the girls on the floor were wearing dresses just as revealing as the one beneath her coat. Carefully, she moved through the dancing couples and went over to the bar and sat down on a stool, next to a tanned guy a little older than herself.

She took a ten-yuan note out of her coat pocket and laid it on the bar, which immediately caught the attention of the female bartender on serving duty. "Hi," she greeted, before going on, "Can I get ..." she paused, then looked at all the bottles behind the woman, all at varying levels of fullness. "Ooh, that one looks nice," she pointed over the bar at a pink liquid in a clear bottle.

The woman took the note on the bar and tucked it into a pocketed belt on her waist, before reaching under the bar for a glass and then turning to the bottle. A moment later, she put a glass, half-full, on the bar in front of Korra, and then counted out a few coins in change beside it.

Korra opened her mouth to thank the woman, but she was already moving down the bar to serve a couple that had just come off the dance floor and looked very thirsty. She looked down and slid her fingers around her glass, lifting it up to her nose and sniffing. It smelled like pomegranate, but had an almost gaseous scent as well, that reminded her of the wine from last night. She took a sip, and it burnt the inside of her mouth for a moment before she forced it down her throat.

She glared at the glass as she took it away from her mouth. It tasted good, but it was very strong.

A pair of hands slowly descended on her shoulders and she jumped a little, before clenching her jaw and reminding herself why she was here. "You've decided to grace me with your presence, at last," she commented, but she wasn't sure if he heard her over the band playing in the corner.

There was warmth in her ear – a damp breath - and she could feel Tahno's stupid hair brushing against her cheek. "Take off your coat," he murmured, sounding excited and wanton, as his hands began to slide down her shoulders to her upper arms. He hummed laughter into her ear, then, before adding, "I want to see you in that dress."

Korra was very still for a beat, but steeled herself and shrugged up her shoulders, cuing him to step back and give her some room. She put her glass on the bar and moved her hands to the buttons of her coat, deftly undoing each one from top to bottom. When it was open, she let her arms hang and shrugged her shoulders out of the sleeves, letting it slide off her bare arms. She caught it in one hand before it slid to the floor, then folded it over one arm and put it in her lap.

A moment later, Tahno's abdomen was pressed against her back and his cold, moist palms were on her shoulders again, fingers probing her skin attentively. The pad of his thumb found the mark on her neck, and she felt her stomach twist as she imagined him grinning behind her.

"Barkeep," Tahno called over the music, rude as ever. She half expected him to lift a hand from her shoulder and snap his fingers at the woman, but he didn't. She felt his words rumbling against her back as he spoke. "Open a tab and get me a Jin Gin, will you?" he said as the woman came over.

The woman looked notably exasperated, but got him his drink and then wandered away.

"I'm guessing you want me to dance," Korra said dully, raising her voice to carry over the music.

Tahno chuckled as he sipped. "You guessed right," he replied, leaning forward to put down his glass beside hers on the bar. He moved back a little so his face was near hers again, and she saw his features curved in satisfaction as he continued, "But that can wait," before sliding his hand off the bar and bringing his fingertips to the exposed top side of one of her breasts. She stiffened visibly, frowning at him. His fingers stroked the skin teasingly, then trailed up her exposed chest, up her neck, and finally to the underside of her chin, where his fingers firmly took hold and turned her head into his.

He kissed her again, exactly like the night before. This time was different – there were people here. Korra grabbed the underneath of her stool with one hand, so hard that she felt her fingernails bending against the wood. Her cheeks lit up and she felt her stomach knotting uncomfortably, as she screwed her eyes shut and pictured the bartender looking at them, and the other people in the bar watching them, and she felt deeply, dreadfully embarrassed. Ashamed, too. It was quite upsetting.

Tahno's slimy tongue was in her mouth, slipping and sliding greedily, his lips pressing and sucking alternately. Korra tried to reciprocate a little, to show that she wasn't being awkward, and it earned her a sharp nip on the lip that she wasn't sure how to interpret. Finally, he pulled back and chuckled into her cheek.

"Enjoying a little bit, are we?" he cooed, eyes focused only on her as he slowly evened his breathing. He seemed hopeful, and Korra was only too happy to dash his hopes.

Korra scoffed a little, brows tilting toward disdain, then flatly responded, "Whatever helps you get your kicks."

This seemed to amuse Tahno, and he smirked at her, releasing her chin and standing again, grabbing his drink and taking a gulp. He didn't take a seat, instead choosing to remain in Korra's space and make her as uneasy as possible, waiting, apparently, for her to finish her drink. She sipped slowly and infrequently on purpose, remembering how she'd felt after the wine with dinner, but when she was done, Tahno gestured for the bartender to come over again, and ordered a refill for her.

Korra stared at the new glass for a moment, then looked over her shoulder to see Tahno, already on his second or third drink. He gave her a quizzical look, before lifting one side of his mouth smugly. "Drink up, uh-vatar," he squeezed her arm.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So, there's the first part of the _dreaded dancing date of doom_. A few little edits here and there, tidied it up at the last minute and such. I really love writing lecherous!Tahno - but not as much as I love writing squicked!Korra. I kind of wanted to show Tahno pushing alcohol on Korra - not as a focal point, but as a peripheral kind of power play. I just think he would try to make her do things she doesn't really want to do, just to see if he can. It's all part of his deeper character - that there's a much darker, more sordid Tahno underneath all that fallible fervor.

I don't know. I'm just rambling now, haha.

Many thanks to Pinnney and LaughingSenselessly for their lovely reviews on chapter 8!

**If you enjoyed this chapter, please drop me a review! :D**


	10. Dancing with a Wolfbat

By the time Tahno decided they were going to dance, Korra didn't know whether she'd even be able to stand. She felt like she was swaying on her seat, but didn't know exactly whether that was the case. She knew that it was unsettling how easy it was for Tahno to get her out of her seat – she was compliant, which she knew wasn't like her. Once she was up, she found that she wasn't as drunk as she thought she was, and that she felt much better now that she was on her feet – even though the bar may have been spinning and she wasn't nearly as repelled by Tahno as she should have been.

The music was still very energetic, but Korra thought that it had slowed up a little, as the Wolfbat led her into the middle of the dancefloor. Idly, she thought that it was exactly like him to want the middle of the floor for himself. Once they were there, he suddenly gripped her waist with one hand and flung her to one side, and she fell for a fraction of a second before he caught her in the crook of his other elbow, his inner leg against her bare thigh. Parts of her naked skin felt numb and tingly, but it felt stranger still for him to be as near as he suddenly was.

"Feeling a little lightheaded, are we?" Tahno teased, leaning into her so his body curled into hers provocatively.

This seemed to sober her a lot. She refused to be vulnerable in his presence – she decided she was going to sober up. No more pink pomegranate stuff for her tonight. She felt his hand slipping into hers, his skin clammy against her callused palms, and gripped it in determination. "I don't know, are we?" she countered quickly, getting one foot under herself and taking her own footing, pushing him back.

Tahno stepped back, moving with it, smirking at her. "You should let me lead," he warned, his voice low.

Korra thought, logically, that he may have been right. He probably knew how to dance a lot better than she did. Irrationally, though, she didn't want to turn to mush and let him pull her around in circles like she was some kind of doll. She tapped the toe of her shoe against the floor and then yanked Tahno around so that his back was to the bar. Korra remembered asking the bartender to watch her coat for her, and saw it draped over the bar.

In her distraction, Tahno whipped her back around again, his grasp on her waist pulling her in tight to him very suddenly, and his body was pressed against her from groin to chest for a beat, before he let go of her hand and put both hands on her hips, driving her back the way the other dancers were doing, before she was suddenly spinning away, sent away by a flick of his arm, and she thought she'd fall, until his hand grabbed her wrist and then yanked her back in.

She wasn't sure if the dance was actually fast, or if she was just slow. She spun in, catching herself against Tahno's chest, her arm wrapped around herself and his hands holding her there. Her eyes found his, and she caught him licking his lower lip as he moved a hand from her hip down until it was cupped on her backside. Korra paused with a growl under her breath, and slid her hand from around his back to grab his and move it away, but he was already bending his knees and going down a little to drag his lazy fingers past the bottom of her skirt and between the tassels parting around her thigh.

He got halfway down her thigh before he straightened sharply and moved behind her back, grasping her and tugging her back against him. She thought for a moment that she could turn the tide and slip under his arm to throw him off, but suddenly her earlobe was warm and wet and caught between his teeth, his hands sliding around her waist treacherously. She gasped in a breath as she felt his fingers curling into the soft space just inside her hip, threatening to move lower. She grasped his fingers anxiously and stopped him, but felt him laughing into her ear.

"Mmm," Tahno moaned against her neck, and it only served to tighten her nerves, "You're so cute when you're flustered."

Korra clenched her jaw and squeezed his fingers tight in her palm. "You're pushing it," she ground out between her teeth.

Tahno gripped her hips and pressed himself against her backside, breath still hot in her ear. "Now I am," he teased, his voice drawling and sly.

Korra resisted the urge to earthbend him to the ceiling and turned herself to face him, leaning away from his pelvis. She grabbed his shoulder in one hand and his hand in the other, then drove him back. "Do you want to dance, or do you want to be a creep?" she growled at him.

Tahno pushed back. "Why not both?" he goaded.

The dance went on, and Korra grew more impatient with each movement.

* * *

><p>AN: Yeah, this scene wasn't as much fun to read as I remember it being to write... it does get more fun soon though ;)

Many thanks again to LaughingSenselessly and Pinnney for reviewing chapter 9!

**Please, please try to leave a review! Even if it's just a smiley face! XD**


	11. Call it a Night

The heady rush of blood stormed in Korra's burning ears and cheeks, every inch of her skin feeling on fire. She was suddenly so grateful for the revealing dress, feeling as though steam was coming off of her, for how hot she felt. Whatever she'd been drinking had left her somewhat fuzzy in the first hour, sitting at the bar, but after the second hour, dancing and spinning and feeling like a ragdoll to be played with, she had felt somewhat clearer. After dancing for a long time, however, Tahno had decided they needed to go back to the bar.

The clock behind the bartender ticked ever nearer to one in the morning, and the new, amber gold liquid in her new glass felt hot in her veins, sweeping her wits in a whirlwind. It didn't feel like she could sober herself up, even if she really, desperately wanted, or even needed to – and that was inherently disconcerting.

It was further disconcerting that she wasn't entirely sure just how intoxicated Tahno was. She would try to fix her eyes on him, where he was sitting, under her – she was sitting on his lap at the bar, and she could remember complaining about it, but ultimately giving in - to gauge his features, the way he was moving – but everything else was moving too, and her eyes wouldn't focus.

Every so often, her neck would feel wet and pinched between his teeth, and she'd wince away from it and take another sip of her drink.

Tahno then announced, apparently very suddenly, that it was time to leave the bar. People were still dancing; just fewer of them. Most of the people that had been dancing with them had resigned to tables and booths around the outskirts of the bar area, chatting and yelling over the music.

New people were coming in, as Tahno got up from under her, forcing her up and onto uncertain, heeled legs, and they looked much like they'd already come from a bar, by the way they shouted excitedly as they entered. Korra pulled on her coat, and Tahno pulled her past the new patrons through the archway from the bar area to the hallway entrance, his arm weighing heavily on her shoulders.

There was a loud clap, and Korra felt a sudden sting on her backside as they passed, and she spun around, snapping out, "Watch it, scumbag!" as her head spun with her body, her stomach stirring uncomfortably. Behind them, there was a slimy-looking snake of a guy grinning at her, and all of his friends were cheering and patting him on the back. She scowled and bit back an insult, letting the weight of Tahno's arm pull her away. She wasn't sure if she was holding him up, or vice versa.

The cold night air was a balm on her searing skin, and she gasped, marveling at the breeze that brushed back the stray hairs that had fallen from her bun. The bouncer smiled at her as they walked out, and she smiled back drowsily, before she and Tahno stepped down onto the pavement and started to move down the street.

Korra was looking around, idly interested in the bright electric signs on the buildings, and the woman leaning out of a window, calling a conversation down to a man on the street. She and Tahno walked right past the man, who looked very angry as he yelled up to the woman in the window, but Korra didn't think much of it. She glanced up to Tahno's face, and saw, in the light of a sign, that his usually sallow cheeks were flushed.

She furrowed her brow a little, as one of her feet stumbled over the other and she nearly lost a shoe. "Hey, where're we going?" she queried curiously.

Tahno hummed, almost indecisively, before replying at a drawl, "My car is parked … just down here," with a small measure of uncertainty in his voice.

Korra's foggy mind first wondered where he planned for them to go once they got to his car, but instead, she grumbled out, "Are you good to drive?"

Instead of answering her question, he smirked and lowered his voice to a husky taunt, "Who said anything about driving?"

Korra groaned quietly, not having the wherewithal to remind him how disgusted she was when he teased her like that. Her head spun, and she stumbled again, falling heavily into his side with a brief yelp of surprise. He gripped her by the fabric of her coat's shoulder and righted her before she could knock him over, but they did veer to one side of the sidewalk for a moment. She blinked a few times, her vision swimming.

"Don't you dare throw up on me, Uh-vatar," Tahno chided, his voice suddenly very snobby – at least he was sober enough to make disdainful comments.

Korra rolled her eyes with as much gusto as she could muster. "I'm not going to throw up," she replied scornfully, trying her best to put her weight squarely on her own legs.

_And if I was, it would be because you make me sick to my stomach, _her idle mind added scornfully.

As the sidewalk opened up on one side, it revealed a hot-rod, dark blue satomobile with a flashy grill, parked in an alley between two buildings. Korra glared at the vehicle, knowing faintly that she probably should not get into a car with Tahno – who she'd agreed, in uncertain terms, to have sex with – but considered the walk back to the docks. Tahno probably shouldn't have been driving, anyway. She suddenly wished she'd called a taxi in advance. They approached the car.

Tahno extricated himself from her and she suddenly wavered, leaning into the satomobile to keep herself upright as he unlocked it. As soon as she heard the doors unlocking, she braced her arm against the hood and stumbled around the car to the passenger side. The thought of sitting down was very appealing. He was already in with the door closed behind himself when she pulled open her door. Korra swung herself gracelessly into the seat, pulled in her legs and slammed the door shut, before buckling in and sinking heavily into the soft leather of the bench seat.

A moment later, the satomobile was on the road, rumbling in its relaxing way, and Korra felt her eyelids becoming heavy, her muscles relaxing – sleep crawling over her.

She knew she needed to stay awake – to keep an eye on the spider-slug driving the car – but she quelled the thoughts. She'd just take a little nap. She'd be awake in a few minutes. Korra laid her head against the window, reveling at the coolness of the glass, sighing sleepily. And then she sank into the darkness.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Dun-DUN-_DUUUUHHH. _I'm super sorry for the delay with this update - I've been sick, and work has been crazy, and every time I sit down to write, my brain goes 'ooh what if Korra had a baby' or 'let's write an asami story!' and I can't focus. So much frustration right now.

Also I just want to mention vaguely that my brother's hair looks gay. I had to get it out of my system. I can't say it to his face.

Anyway. So, yeah, Korra's passed out in Tahno's car. What happens next? You'll find out tomorrow! :D Naked Tahno coming right up, haha.

So many thanks to Pinnney, Lizaloves, LaughingSenselessly, FireLordDanny, Guest and missjtchilly27 for reviewing chapter ten!

**Please drop me a review and tell me what you thought of this chapter!**


	12. A Trepidatious Morning

Korra slept more heavily than she thought she'd ever slept before, and woke up feeling like a tonne of bricks. The sun seemed to be assaulting her, as she blinked open her eyes into the silence and was almost blinded by brightness. She rolled over, away from the light, and found that the sound of her body against bed sheets was impossibly loud, causing her head to ache. It was like her head was swollen.

A few minutes later, she managed to open her eyes again, and found that she was sprawled on her side under silk sheets in a lavish bedroom. The walls were paneled wood with ornate designs on each panel, decorated with expensive tapestries. The room itself was huge, for a bedroom, with a sofa in the corner and a dressing screen near the window.

She remembered dancing with Tahno, and then bumbling down the street with him, to his car, and then falling asleep … she could only guess that Tahno had seen fit to carry her up into his residence and let her sleep off her condition in his bed.

Korra gripped the edge of the thick mattress and hauled herself groggily into a sitting position, the remainder of her bun tumbling down onto her shoulders. The sheets fell away, and she saw that she was still wearing her dress from the night before, and that it was still restrictively tight. At the very least, she consoled herself, nothing had … _happened, _last night.

So this was Tahno's bedroom, she surmised, as she lifted her hand to her head and pressed her fingers into it. Her skull ached with every motion. She guessed the championship pot had paid for this apartment – it certainly wasn't inside a house, not with the view of a tall office building out the window – and thought briefly that the money from the final would do so much for Mako and Bolin.

The quiet hiss of a shower worked its way through the wall, and she looked over to see that there were three doors exiting the bedroom – one, presumably, entering a bathroom. She guessed Tahno was showering, and then frowned, looking over to the other side of the enormous bed, wondering if he'd slept in the bed with her, if he'd wrapped his arms around her and touched her and felt her up while she was asleep. She clenched her teeth, assuming the worst, and thought of returning his favor of sneaking in on her in the showers.

_'Care to join me, uh-vatar?' _she heard his seedy voice in her head, and immediately shuddered. Maybe she'd just let him shower in privacy.

Korra slowly turned in the bed and let her feet fall out from under the sheets, toward the floor. They were bare, and when she looked down, she saw her dancing shoes at the side of the bed, almost waiting for her. Scowling, she raised a hand and shook out her hair, threading her fingers through the tresses and sliding out the hairpins. She leant down and cradled her head in her hands for a few minutes, still exhausted.

The shower went quiet, and not long later, she looked up to see Tahno walking out of the en-suite with a towel around his waist and nothing else. Korra felt her stomach churning uncomfortably as he shot her a wicked grin. "Like what you see?" his eyebrows jumped suggestively, his voice somewhat raspy, deeper than usual in the early hours of the day.

Early hours. Day. Morning.

Korra threw herself upright, wobbling on her feet a little. "I'm late for practice," she blurted, eyes wide, feeling a bit light-headed but shaking it off.

Tahno's grin turned chiding. "Mm," he hummed patronizingly, "I would have woken you, but you looked so good in my bed," he tutted, amused.

The Avatar blanched a little, then drew a short breath, suddenly feeling very sober. She'd been late to practice two days in a row – and she was usually a few minutes late anyway, but she wasn't usually _hours _late. "I haven't even got clothes," she groaned, looking down at herself. She certainly didn't have time to go all the way back to Air Temple Island to get changed.

"You could go in the nude," Tahno chuckled, as he ambled across the room in only his towel. He got to an expensive mahogany dresser, thankfully facing away from Korra – and then let his towel drop. She pulled a face, averting her eyes from his buttocks.

Korra growled, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm going to need to borrow some clothes," she stated at a grumble.

Tahno looked over his shoulder and tutted again, "You're going to have to work on your manners, uh-vatar," his greasy voice tighter, more sinister, as he narrowed his eyes. "You forget that I'm doing you a very big favor already," the words came out plain, simple, and threatening. Korra had no idea how he could run the show while standing there completely naked, but he managed it. A moment later, he had pulled on some underwear and a pair of trousers, and she was brave enough to look at him again.

"And I'm doing you a favor as well," she countered sharply.

Tahno's features were drawn, but then they relaxed into a smirk again. "You're cute when you're angry," he gave a brief laugh, then waved a hand and turned away from her again. He went to one of the doors out of the room and turned the knob, pulling it open. Inside, he pulled a cord, and a light came on, revealing a large walk-in closet, filled with expensive men's clothes. "I'm sure you'll find something to your liking," he turned around again, his voice gloating as he went back to the dresser.

Korra went into the closet, and after a bit of searching, she found the smallest pair of trousers in there, and a wrap-shirt with a matching belt. They wouldn't look too strange on her, she decided, and started to undo the fastenings of her dress. Once it was open, she shimmied out of it and stuffed her arms through the sleeves of the shirt, pulling it around herself and deftly tying the belt around her waist. She was reaching for the trousers on the floor, bending down, when she felt something damp and cold against her exposed backside and jumped into an upright position.

Tahno was right behind her, hand cupping her butt, laying his other palm on her hip. Korra growled under her breath as she forced herself to stay still, his lips coming close to the shell of her ear and whispering menacingly. "On the subject of your favor," his hand squeezed, and she tensed up immediately. The hand on her hip pulled her back against his body, and with very little interference – no trousers, no pelt, no dress, no coat – she could feel, in startling detail, how eager he was to take her.

Korra drew a breath through parted lips and exhaled it shakily.

Tahno murmured very quietly against her ear, "I want you tonight."

She swallowed the hard lump in her throat and frowned. The phrase 'in your dreams' jumped to mind, but she quieted it. The championship pot was a lot of money – money that the Fire Ferrets deserved. Having said that, she knew her friends would never approve of her methods of helping them. Maybe she was in too deep. Maybe she should have gotten out while she still had the chance.

Maybe the Fire Ferrets could win next year, instead.

But then … Amon and his equalists had very nearly shut down the tournament this year – this season could very well be the last probending season ever.

Korra leveled her tone and replied dryly, "Are you going to dress me up like a doll again?" while shifting her weight to one hip, feigning confidence.

Tahno chuckled lightly by her ear, leaning down and brushing his lips against the skin of her neck. "Would you like that?" he teased, self-satisfied. Korra rolled her eyes, fingers clenching on the trousers in her hands. He hummed thoughtfully against her neck, then spoke again, "No, you can dress however you want. It's all coming off in the end anyway," he pressed against her backside once more, probably just to psych her out, but then immediately, he was gone.

Korra looked over her shoulder and saw him making his way out of the closet. "Tahno," she suddenly said.

He paused and looked back, a comment about liking her saying his name probably on his lips – but he kept it to himself.

She set her features seriously. "Swear you'll hold to your promise," she said firmly. He stared at her, his face unchanging, and with her free hand, she pointed at the floor threateningly, remembering suddenly that she was the Avatar, and not just a girl in her underwear. "Swear, right now, that you won't cheat in the final, or not only will I not sleep with you, but I will _destroy_ you, regardless of the tournament."

He pursed his lips a little. Narrowed his eyes. He tilted his chin up, just an inch. "I swear," he said simply.

Korra let her hand fall, still staring him down. Then she nodded briefly. "Then we're on," she stated calmly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Ahahaha, I had you guys going there for a minute, didn't I? No, there will be shameless smut - I wouldn't omit it like that. I'm genuinely going to enjoy writing Tahno in a sexual context. You start to see Korra's resolve hardening a little here, which I like. She still doesn't like the situation, but she's kind of accepted it.

Oh. OH. Hehe, I just remembered a scene I wrote that's not long after this - you guys are gonna love it. Fun times - protective!Bolin is best Bolin ^_^

Many thanks to FireLordDanny, Pinnney, Zak and Mrf for reviewing chapter 11!

**Please review this chapter if you enjoyed it!**


	13. A Displeased Team Captain

Dread filling her body, Korra rapped her knuckles sheepishly on the open door into the gymnasium, where Mako and Bolin were sitting on the training gear in the back corner, leaning over a sheaf of papers between them, both of them leaning over the papers, Bolin pointing at something on the top page with his pen, and Mako looking thoughtful with his own pen tucked atop his ear, training helmet under his arm. At the sound of her knock, they both looked up, Bolin clutching the papers to his chest secretively with a gasp.

Mako's features were immediately marred with a deep scowl as soon as he laid eyes on her. "You're nearly two hours late," he said scathingly, and swung his leg over the training bench to stand, reaching up and discarding the pen tucked behind his ear. He took a step toward Korra, then stopped, his mouth opening and then promptly closing again in surprise. "What are you wearing?" his frown somehow managed to deepen.

Korra was sure she'd thought of a fantastic explanation for her new attire on the run to the probending arena, all the way from mid-town. It escaped her mind at this point, and she opened and shut her mouth a few times, trying to think of a new explanation. "Just some … hand-me-downs," she heard the words tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop them.

Mako showed his teeth through his frown for a moment, looking furious for a beat, as he crossed his arms over his chest. Bolin got up, having tidied up his papers into a neat pile again. "Who from?" the earthbender asked curiously.

Korra hid her hands behind her back, fiddling with her fingers nervously. "Um, Pema," she answered slowly.

Mako glowered at her, before marching toward her confrontationally. "This is the second time in a row, Korra, and the final is in three days," he reminded her gravely, as he neared. He stopped only when he was right in her space, only a few inches between his chest and hers. "You need to get your head in the game," he raised a hand and jabbed a finger into her chest roughly, making her step back a little. He leaned down a little, eyes narrowed, "And maybe, _out of _your boyfriend's clothes," he growled.

Bolin made a loud hissing noise, aware that things were getting tense. "Hey, guys, do you want to look at this new play idea I came up with?" he tried hopefully, face contorting nervously as he looked back and forth between his teammates.

Korra felt her cheeks heating a little, half because she was embarrassed that Mako had seen through her lie, and half because she was kind of ticked off that he was treating her like a rookie again. She was working just as hard for them to win, just in different ways. "Believe me," she frowned angrily at him, "I'm aware of just how close the final is."

"I don't think you are," Mako dropped his hands to his hips, still looking like she was a bad smell in his nose. "I think you're acting like a spoiled brat because a boy is paying attention to you," he declared, still glaring at her, his words cutting and harsh.

Korra felt her face go slack, as shock, hurt and anger washed over her. She dropped open her mouth, her lips forming a perfect O, her eyes wide and her brows down.

"Guys-," Bolin started, voice carrying from the other side of the gym, but Korra cut him off.

"_Excuse_ me?" she barked at Mako, disbelief coloring her voice, before she spat out, struggling to contain her affront, "I'm not acting spoiled – in fact, I was about to apologize for being late – before you jumped down my throat!"

"Yeah, great, whatever," Mako scoffed, turning away – and even from behind him, she could tell he was rolling his eyes. "Just go get into your gear," he said dismissively, heading back over toward Bolin, raising a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. "You need to work on your waterbending."

Korra drew a short breath through her nose, enraged, glaring at the back of his stupid head for a moment, before she snapped a hand out to the water barrel just behind her, and in one swish of her elbow and wrist, dragged a good bucketful of water out of the barrel up and over her shoulder – and splattered it against the firebender's head.

Bolin gasped aloud, covering his mouth immediately in shock.

Mako went entirely still, water still dripping from his chin and now drooping hair, his training gear soaked from the shoulder blades up. He kept his back to Korra, frozen for a moment, and she could see him balling a fist at his side, obviously ticked off.

Korra put her hands on her hips and smirked, giving a short laugh. "I think my waterbending is just fine," she taunted, brows set on a harsh downward angle.

Mako looked like he might turn at her with a flame around his fist, and for a moment, Korra thought she ought to prepare for it. Then his shoulders drooped and he shouted over his wet shoulder, "I said go get changed," sounding like he was struggling to keep his anger in check.

Korra's features fell again, this time into annoyance. "Why? So you can complain about me behind my back?" she grumbled at him.

Mako turned fully to face her, shaking out his hair irritably. "So I can hit you without seriously hurting you, genius. Go put on your gear so I can kick some sense back into you," he raised an arm and pointed swiftly in the direction of the changing rooms.

Korra grit her teeth and bared them at him. "Dream on, city boy," she raised a fist threateningly.

"Try it again, Avatar," Mako took a step toward her menacingly, "I dare you."

Bolin was suddenly between them, throwing his hands at Mako's chest and sending him staggering back. "Guys, you need to stop this _right now_, alright?" he ordered firmly, frowning at them in turn. "You're acting like children!" he chastised, shaking his head to express his disappointment in both of them.

Korra's features softened little, and guilt took over her face. Mako looked sheepish, raising a hand to swipe his wet hair off his forehead.

"Look at yourselves!" Bolin gestured to his teammates despairingly, "How can we expect to win if we keep fighting amongst ourselves?"

Mako sighed heavily. "You're right, Bo," he admitted apologetically, then glanced over to Korra hesitantly. "Korra, I'm sorry I flipped at you."

Korra crossed her arms over her chest for a moment.

"Korra...?" Bolin dragged out the word expectantly, frowning at her.

She exhaled quietly. "I'm sorry I hit you," she apologized, brows tilting, then added, "And I'm sorry I'm late."

Bolin suddenly grinned. "There! That's better, see? Group hug!" he exclaimed, grabbing his brother by his wet training gear and dragging him toward the Avatar. Mako complained, but let Bolin pull them into a group hug for a minute. Then they let go, and Korra ran off to get changed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: D'aww, poor Korra. Also I find Mako and Korra fighting incredibly pleasing, hehe. Is he jealous? Is he just being captain!bossy? Who knows? Yeah, another delayed update - seriously sorry about that. A guy came all the way from Germany to come see a horse that my mom is selling and my mom dragged me to dinner with them so I was out all last night. Got home and just crashed.

I hope you liked this chapter!

Many thanks to Pinnney, FireLordDanny, peste21, Raavaxvaatu, Guest and LaughingSenselessly for your reviews on chapter 12!

**Please leave a review!**


	14. Mako knows Best

Bolin left practice early, and explained that he needed to buy something before the nearest store closed for lunch. Mako let him go, and pointedly commented that his brother could get away with losing a little training time, unlike a certain someone. There was an hour left after Bolin went, and Mako took the opportunity to drill Korra mercilessly, without Bolin to tell him to go easy on her.

He held back very little as they sparred, forcing her to find new ways to dodge and counter, and Korra admitted – to herself, of course – that the session had been fruitful. The firebender was hurling balls of flame at her from thirty feet away when he decided he wanted to get chatty.

"So are we not talking about you showing up in mens' clothes?" he asked somewhat tauntingly, as she stepped out of the way of one of his blasts. She countered with a water shot to his legs, but he hopped up and out of the way.

Korra groaned a little, leaning to the left as another flame shot past her. "It's not what it looks like," she said simply, straightening her elbow as a ball of water rolled with her movements, darting forward at Mako's chest.

"So you know what it looks like," Mako snorted, dodging to the right and spinning a fire burst from his foot with a roundhouse kick. "You know it looks like you slept at your boyfriend's house and somehow misplaced your clothes," he coated his words in displeasure.

"That's not it," Korra rolled her eyes, ducking and sprawling out of the way of his fire, before flipping her legs over her head and bending water with her own feet at him. Her breathing came harder, but settled soon after. "And he's not my boyfriend," she swiped a hand across the air to negate his assumption.

Mako arched a brow at her as he stepped forward, out of the way of her shot. "If he's not your boyfriend, why are you sleeping at his place?" he asked pointedly, as he hopped on his feet energetically, punching the air, left-right, sending two quick blasts her way.

Korra paused for a minute, straight after leaping aside, away from his attack, standing casually for a beat. She furrowed her brow at him, then raised one corner of her mouth, "Wait, are you … are you jealous?" she asked slowly, not trying to be irritating – just genuinely curious.

Mako boxed out another three blasts, in an attempt to dodge the question, which she avoided neatly. She was watching him intently, and he groaned out, "I don't get jealous," as though this were obvious. "I'm just ..." he threw another blast, this one a little bigger than was allowed, and cringed as soon as he let it go, "... concerned."

Korra raised a water ball to block the flame, then arched a brow at him. "That would've been a yellow fan," she smirked a little.

Mako huffed out, "I know," and tossed another flame.

Korra dodged this one too, and returned with a four-blast combo that pushed him back a step. "Anyway, you don't have to be concerned about me. It's not serious," she added honestly.

Mako snorted in disbelief, as he shot three consecutive hits at her, one from each hand and one from a snap kick. "If it's not serious, why did you sleep at Wong Lee's house last night?" he used the alias just to get under her skin, she imagined.

Korra blocked him with a water blast, then threw a ball of water at his knees. He hesitated a second too long and got his legs soaked. She smirked at the hit, but it faded when she thought of his question. "I didn't mean to," she admitted, as he staggered back and regained his stance. He was building a fireball in his hand when he stopped, looking vexed, letting the ball burn out. She went on, "I guess I had too much to drink," with a shrug, "fell asleep in his car."

Mako opened his mouth, argumentative. "So he carried you into his house instead of taking you home?" he blurted out, sounding offended on her behalf, "Do you realize how creepy that is?"

Korra laughed out a little at the way he phrased it. He didn't laugh with her, obviously not amused. She sighed and replied, "Yeah, I know."

Mako put a hand on his hip, and the other to the bridge of his nose. "Doesn't sound like you do," he muttered, shutting his eyes briefly. He dropped his hand and then got back into his sparring stance, collecting a fireball again. "Sounds like you haven't got a clue what you're doing, and it sounds like you're going to get yourself hurt if you let this go on," he sounded both worried and bitter, and then blasted the ball at her.

Korra swiped his fireball out of the air with a water blast that missed his arm by an inch. "I know what I'm doing," she said solemnly, feeling the smile falling off her face. Of course she knew what she was doing – and she hated it, too. But … she was still going to do it.

Tonight.

Ick.

"Maybe I'm a little jealous," Mako admitted gruffly, and Korra's eyes snapped to his, but then he raised a hand suddenly and added seriously, "But mainly I'm worried because this guy sounds like a total creep."

Korra's water ball shimmered in her hand for a beat as she stared at him.

Mako smiled a little, "I'm team captain. That means I'm supposed to protect my team."

Korra laughed through her nose, looking down for a moment. "I don't need protecting," she replied haughtily.

"Maybe not from equalists, but creepy avatar stalkers?" Mako let a cringe wash dramatically over his features, and for a moment, he looked like he could really be Bolin's brother. "Eugh, you should _hire_ someone just to keep them away."

Korra laughed out loud, and felt lighter than she had all morning.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: D'aaww, Mako you adorable little shit. Not entirely happy with this chapter, but a lot of it really amuses me to the point that I didn't particularly want to change anything. I guess I'm just fussy. Ahh, you guys are gonna love the next scene - full of Bolin-y goodness :D

So many thanks to saveg1, , Pinnney, LaughingSenselessly and Guest for reviewing chapter 13!

**If you enjoyed this chapter, please drop a review! Thanks!**


	15. A Close Call

As had become the norm, Korra expected for Tahno to leave a note, or saunter in, to let her know how things were going to go down tonight. Mako had worked her hard, so not showering hadn't really been an option – the sweat on her skin was starting to smell, and she was already uncomfortable enough knowing she'd have to put Tahno's borrowed clothes back on. She thought of freezing the door shut, just to make sure he didn't come in while she was showering, but yesterday he'd been quiet enough that she hadn't even noticed him. If she could get by without noticing him again, she didn't mind so much.

She generally enjoyed showering at the probending arena – but she was still wound up tight, thinking about spending tonight in Tahno's bed, imagining his greedy eyes on her bare skin – his clammy, gross hands on her. Korra made a face as her stomach clenched uncomfortably, tilting her head forward in the shower to let the water push her hair into her face.

She stayed in the shower for as long as she could, hoping Tahno would slip in, leave a note, and slip back out again in the space of her shower. Eventually, the water turned cold, and she switched it off, turning and peering out into the changing room, one arm snaking around the wall toward her towel on the hook.

"Feeling shy today, uh-vatar?" Tahno purred, eyes meeting hers, sitting smugly on the bench in the middle of the changing room, his hair looking as girly as ever, his face just as oily and devious as it had been that morning.

Korra frowned at him around the wall, slipping her towel off the hook and bringing it into the shower with her. She wrapped it around herself, knotting it deftly just under her arm, hiding her naked skin from underarm to knee. She stepped out of the shower carefully, glaring at him as she moved toward the extra towel on the bench. She reached for it, and as she did, he decided it would be fun to snatch it away.

"You must really enjoy being a jerk," Korra snapped, stepping toward him quickly and snatching it back, reaching up to collect her hair in it.

Tahno chuckled lightly, flicking his hair importantly. "I really enjoy irritating you," he admitted, smirking, leaning back and evidently trying to make out her shape beneath her towel with his eyes. "I love a fiery woman," he winked at her.

Korra arched a brow at him, rubbing her hair dry over her shoulder. "Then you'll love it when I torch your apartment after this is all over," she answered dryly, before she tipped her head forward and wrapped the towel around her hair.

Tahno hummed, amused. "You look so inviting, like this," he drawled slowly, pursing his lips between words. "All hot and wet," he teased, lowering his voice for a moment.

Korra growled under her breath. "Good to know," she scoffed, putting on an air of disinterest.

"Maybe I'll screw you in the shower tonight," Tahno supposed aloud, his words dripping with self-satisfaction.

She felt her muscles tightening again, undoing what little relaxation had occurred during her shower. She knew he was just trying to bait her, but she would have liked not to think about that until later. "Let's hope you get hit by a satomobile before that happens," Korra grumbled, eyes flashing dangerously at him as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Tahno tutted at her chidingly. "My, my. Like I said – we'll have to work on those manners of yours," he shook his head almost sarcastically. "You're almost taking all the fun out of this," he inspected his nails idly.

Korra exhaled her exasperation as dramatically as she could. "Look, are you going to get to the point anytime soon? I need to get dressed," she gestured with distaste to the clothes she'd borrowed that morning, laying on the bench beside him.

Tahno's eyes sparkled mischievously, "Don't let me keep you," he reached beside him and plucked up her bra, extending it innocently.

Korra gave him her hardest 'I want you to choke' look, and then sourly stated, "Your point, Tahno."

Tahno chuckled a little, putting the bra down. He sat up a little straighter and tossed his hair again, before settling his eyes on her with his predatory gaze once more. "I'll pick you up at the pier at nine o clock. You should bring some clothes for the morning, whatever," he waved a hand dismissively, then went on, face curling around an expression of anticipation, "I'll have condoms ready."

Korra frowned at him, having assumed that once would be enough – they would have sex, she would go throw up, and then they'd go to sleep. Apparently he was under the impression that there would be multiple screwings going on. She wondered if he was just getting ahead of himself – chances were, that was the case. "Ooh, hot," she said sarcastically.

Tahno laughed again, a low, patronizing sound. "Would you prefer without?" he teased.

Korra shuddered. "Eew. Gross. No," she raised a hand, blocking her view of him for a moment while she tried her hardest not to imagine catching an icky Tahno disease from all his adoring female fans.

Tahno suddenly stood up, and she flicked her eyes to him immediately. A part of her felt a flicker of fear as he took a position where he was taller than her. Flashes of him molesting her on the pier and grinding against her at the bar last night passed behind her eyes, and she stepped back toward her locker. He approached menacingly, and she gasped a little when he grabbed her wrists, pulled them up and then pressed against her.

She moved back, until she hit the wall of lockers and heard an embarrassing yelp jump out of her mouth over the clattering of the locker doors.

Tahno was grinning again, this time right in her face. "Manners, uh-vatar," he said slowly, breathily, "you still haven't fulfilled," he paused to push his pelvis against her, and she felt her face going slack. He hummed a little at the sensation, then drawled out, "... your end of our agreement. If you keep getting on my nerves, I might have to drop my end," he hissed threateningly.

Korra stared into his icy-blue eyes, her own starting to burn a little. She wasn't afraid of him. She _wasn't. _She wasn't afraid of anyone.

"I'm," she heard her voice crack a little, the syllable coming out as pure shock, "I'm sorry," she finished quietly.

Tahno looked pleased at this reply, smirking all over again. He brought his face closer, and Korra cringed inwardly, knowing what he was about to do. "That's better," he murmured, leaning in to kiss her.

"What are you doing in here?" a voice snapped loudly, filled with both shock and anger, the sound resonating in the room.

Tahno recoiled immediately from Korra, and she breathed a gasp of relief before she shot her eyes to the source of the sound – the door into the changing room. Bolin was standing there, back from his shopping, dressed in his casual clothes, holding the door open and frowning harshly at Tahno. His eyes were narrowed and sharp, his mouth a thin line of disgust. Tahno was glaring at him, looking somewhere between affront and annoyance. The waterbender recovered quickly and flicked his hair, smirking.

"Just a little small talk," he drawled innocently.

Bolin balled a fist at his side, brows somehow coming down even further. He looked like he might beat the crap out of Tahno if the situation wasn't diffused soon. "Take your small talk to your own changing room," he said gruffly, stepping aside and holding the door open, fury coming off of him in waves.

Tahno tutted condescendingly at the earthbender. "You're not jealous now, are you?" he teased, moving slowly toward the door.

"Out," Bolin ordered, his voice bordering on dark.

Korra was entirely still, feeling like a deer-lark in headlights, not sure what to say or do, aside from stay against her locker, grasping her towel to herself awkwardly.

Tahno smirked at Bolin on the way out, and as soon as he was gone, Bolin let go of the door, scowling angrily. Korra prepared herself for an interrogation, but Bolin turned around, his anger gone and his features awash with concern. "Are you alright?" he asked, not coming near – respecting her space.

Korra stared at him, not having expected this. She was genuinely touched. She smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said slowly, feeling self-conscious. "Thanks, Bolin," she exhaled shakily through her nose.

Bolin shifted awkwardly on his feet, but then breathed, "Don't mention it." He paused, then went on, "What was that jerk even doing in here? I came to ask if you wanted to get some dumplings, and then there's voices in here, and then there was a bang, and I thought you'd hurt yourself or something," he shook his head, confused, but still quite angry.

It seemed like Bolin hadn't been able to tell exactly what had been said in here – which was a godsend. Korra lied to him – which made her feel sick, after he'd just saved her from a gross make-out session with the slimiest guy in Republic City. "I don't know. I got out of the shower and he was just sitting there - then he started to come on to me," she let disgust wash over her face.

Bolin's fists balled up again, and he growled under his breath. "That guy makes me sick," he said tightly. His eyes widened for a moment, and he went on, "He didn't try to touch you, did he?" he asked sharply, making her jump a little, "Cause if he did, I swear I'll-,"

Korra raised a hand to calm him. "No, no, nothing happened. I think he was going to try and kiss me, but you arrived just in time," she added honestly, smiling thankfully at him. Then she added, "And those dumplings sound great. I just need to get dressed."

Bolin nodded affirmatively, then saluted. "Okay, I'll go wait outside!" he agreed, then popped through the door, disappearing.

Korra smiled after him, then exhaled heavily. She couldn't wait until this was all over.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Aww, Bolin, you protective little sweetie. So yeah, I did juggle with whether to put Bolin or Mako in here, but Mako is already concerned about Korra's romantic exploits and I think he would have put the pieces together and realized Tahno was Wong Lee, which I'm not ready for just yet. It will get out, but not before the deal is sealed. Bolin was perfect for this scene.

Wow! I can't tell you how amazed I am by the interest in this story! Thank you guys so much!

Thanks in particular to Pinnney, Aipom4, saveg1, , LaughingSenselessly, Mrf, idkdontask, SparklingImaginaryRealities and Guest for your wonderful reviews on chapter 14!

**If you enjoyed this scene, please leave a review!**


	16. An Even Closer Call

After going for dumplings with Bolin, and then sneaking onto Air Temple Island and getting changed before anyone could spot her, Korra found Tenzin and the airbender kids and took another shot at airbending. Going through the motions was very relaxing, especially as it took her mind off the events of the day. In many ways, airbending katas felt similar to waterbending ones. If anyone noticed the fading red mark on Korra's neck, they didn't mention it – which she thanked the spirits for.

Tenzin offered her a break, as the afternoon wore on, but she declined – and while he and the children went to get some lunch, Korra continued her motions in the courtyard. Naga trotted over, happy to see her, and knocked her off her feet with affection, before calming down and sitting near as she trained.

Avatar Korra didn't feel muscle burn, or fatigue, or even sweat all that much. The White Lotus had trained her well, from the age of six, into a well-honed bending machine. Not some … some cheap booty call, for Tahno to amuse himself with. He'd nearly blown the whole thing wide open; if Bolin had heard Tahno shooting his stupid mouth off, the whole deal could have been compromised.

Footsteps echoed back to Korra's ears, and she paused in her katas, looking up and around in confusion. It sounded like someone was wearing high heels – but she was the only person on the island who even owned a pair of heeled shoes – thanks to the greasy jerk who was exploiting her.

Finally, her eyes landed on a girl her own age, well dressed with flawless hair, marching across the stone tiles toward her.

"Asami?" Korra asked, surprised.

Asami didn't look like her usual, genial, polite self. In fact, she looked like she may have been about to smack the Avatar stupid. She was carrying a rolled up newspaper. The Sato girl stormed up to Korra, then snapped out the rolled up paper in her hand, holding it up for Korra to see. "I'm guessing you haven't seen this yet," she stated angrily.

"_'Avatar Korra cuts loose in Republic City'...?" _Korra read aloud, fury seeping into her voice as her eyes fell on the blurry, shadowy photograph on the front page – of her, inside the Dragonfly bar last night, leaning at the bar in her dancing dress. Her cheeks turned bright red in anger and embarrassment. "What the heck is this?" she burst out, eyes flicking to Asami for a moment before she reached out and took the paper. "How did they get that picture?" she asked nobody in particular.

"The point is, they did," Asami crossed her arms over her chest, her symmetrical features twisted in a scowl. "What were you doing in a place like that, Korra? This could be terrible publicity for the Fire Ferrets – and my father's company!"

Korra dropped open her mouth, brows coming down over affronted wide eyes. "What about me?" she pointed out irately, "I have a reputation to protect too, you know!" she glared for a moment, then looked back down to the article, before grumbling out, "_'The Dragonfly bar is one of Republic City's most frequented dancing clubs, known for attracting visiting celebrities such as Ba Sing Se radio sensation Liu Xu Chang, and self-proclaimed womanizer Varrick, of Varrick Global Industries. Shockingly, however, last night saw attention-seeking Avatar Korra flirting her way past the doorman-'," _Korra yelled in frustration, _"_Are you kidding me?"

Asami sighed heavily and snatched the paper back, looking apologetic. "It gets worse," she flipped open the pages and found the continuation of the story on page seven. She cleared her throat, then read aloud, "_'The reckless young Avatar was seen drinking heavily in the arms of a, quote, overly amorous boy toy, end quote, the name of whom has yet to be discovered. Other patrons reported seeing the Avatar and her new beau dancing provocatively throughout the night and into the early hours of the morning, and blatantly canoodling at the bar while knocking back shots. It can also be reported that the ferry back to Air Temple Island was not hailed once during the night, and many are assuming the affections of the Avatar's new fellow proved fruitful. Probending fans may be concerned, as this may distract from her training for the final in three days time'."_

Korra groaned loudly and let her legs collapse under her, sinking to the ground in a cross-legged position. "I knew something like this would happen," she raised a hand and rubbed it down her face, mouth warped into distaste. When Tenzin read the story, she'd be in so much trouble. He might send her back to the South Pole. What if her parents found out? What if Mako saw it? She raked a hand roughly through her hair.

Asami's frustration started to dissipate, and she began to look sympathetic. She put her hands on her hips and then allowed, "I've already sorted this out," she said, kneeling down and putting a hand on Korra's shoulder. "I had one of my dad's secretaries keep the newspapers from running the story-," she was cut off.

Korra was still as ice, as relief washed over her, and the air returned to her lungs. "What?" it tumbled from her mouth, before she blinked a few times and then grinned. "That's amazing! _You're _amazing! You've totally saved my life, Asami!" she breathed gratefully.

Asami smiled briefly, then looked concerned again. "You're welcome," she said, a little hesitantly, before going on, "But you need to be more careful from now on. Mako's told me you're seeing someone, and I know how easy it is to get ahead of yourself-,"

"He told you?" Korra blurted, her face screwing up in surprise.

Asami's brows came down a fraction of an inch. "Well, yeah," she answered, as though this should have been expected. She seemed to notice the irritation on Korra's face, and quickly went on, "But let's get back to this, alright?" Asami held up the newspaper again. "No more of this. Like you said, you have a reputation too."

Korra kind of wanted to tell Asami to mind her own business, but she also had to admit that the girl was right. She leant forward and pushed herself up onto her feet, dusting off the back of her trousers. She nodded affirmatively at Asami. "Got it. Thanks for the save, Asami," she smiled sheepishly, evidently embarrassed.

Asami smiled reluctantly, then shrugged. "It's alright," she said, before laughing and saying hesitantly, "And … between you and me – I _wish_ I could pull off a dress like that," she tucked her hands together in front of her, looking kind of nervous.

Korra's brows came down a little, confused, before she laughed through her nose, preening a little. "Oh. Right. Uh, thanks," she raised a hand and rubbed the back of her neck, kind of flattered.

They stood a few feet from each other, awkwardly silent, for almost ten seconds.

"So … this guy you're seeing," Asami tried to be conversational. "You … like him?"

Korra let out a kind of reluctant groan, "Uh. Yeah. Kind of," she looked away, avoiding eye contact. Telling Mako how she felt about this whole Tahno (aka-Wong-Lee) situation had been one thing; she was friends with him. They were teammates. She trusted him, and she liked to think he trusted her too. Korra didn't really know Asami all that well – and to be honest, she had to admit that a big part of it was to do with her crush on Mako.

Plus, there was the fact that she had kissed Asami's boyfriend just last week. It was a bit of a hurdle to get over.

"Well that's good," Asami replied, obviously uncomfortable. "How did you guys meet?"

Korra tried to think of a lie that was partly based in truth. "We met at this noodle place downtown," she decided with a kind of shrug, "From there, it just kind of spiraled," she murmured, pulling a semi-vexed frown.

Asami smiled genially, and Korra couldn't help but feel the girl was just humoring her. "That's nice. Is he your first boyfriend? Or, I don't know, did you date back home?" she scuffed the bottom of her boot on the floor.

Korra considered. "He's not my boyfriend," she said offhandedly, without even thinking about it. Asami looked a little surprised – maybe a little concerned. Korra quickly backpedaled; apparently Asami had assumed that the newspapers were right – and that she really was sleeping with her new 'boy toy'. "Uh, because we're much … closer than that. You know? We're like, soul mates?" she felt her inner disgust growing and growing, even as she tried to appear casual.

Asami's eyes narrowed just a bit, and Korra thought for a moment that she would call her bluff. Then she gave a kind of patronizing smile – which was well deserved. The ball of idiocy that had just fallen out of the Avatar's mouth was nothing short of painful. If Korra had heard someone say something like that, she'd have laughed in their face.

"Oh," Asami said, without inflection, "That's cool."

Korra smiled, squirming inside at her own stupidity. Then she raised a fist and coughed awkwardly into it. "Er, out of curiosity, is Mako your first boyfriend?" she tried to change the topic. And, to be honest, she wanted to know.

It was Asami's turn to be reduced to babbling mush. She raised a hand to the back of her head and laughed nervously. "Uh, well, that's … yeah, well, there may have been a few others, growing up, you know..." she murmured out, sounding a little embarrassed, "nothing serious, of course."

Korra smiled confidently. "That's cool," she said simply, then shrugged and allowed honestly, "I wish I could've dated earlier. I had a raging crush on one of the White Lotus guards for like, four years," she raised a hand to hide her face, her cheeks starting to heat up at the thought.

Asami laughed, putting a hand on Korra's back. "Don't worry. When I was thirteen I asked my self-defense instructor to marry me," she raised a palm and chuckled into it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Yay, Asami! I wanted a bit of awkward girl bonding in this story, and I also wanted the press to get a whiff of Korra's exploits, just to give her more stress over the whole thing - so Asami fit here so perfectly, as a sort-of bossy, semi-friendly entity.

Aha. Heh. So, I didn't really mean to spill the beans last time in my author's note, but what's done is done, and I'll say it outright: Korra is going to have sex with Tahno. Yes. Yeah. I know. I'm iffy about it too. But that was always really the direction this story was going in, and I'm not going to lie - I still want to write that. A lot of you were surprised by this, but trust me - it's going in an awesome direction, once we just get past the final.

**Suqu124** - about the Amon/finals thing, and sticking to canon. I'm still undecided on that. I was going to have the equalist party crashing thing omitted because I wanted to focus on the psychological side of the aftermath of the deal, but now I really like the idea of Amon showing up, because in canon - and I know this is all very non-canon - Korra wouldn't have a break to deal with it, she'd have to suck it up and sort out the Equalist problem. Thanks so much for your thought-provoking review!

**saveg1** - I really truly loved your idea of shifting perspective to Mako and Bolin! I wanted to follow up chapter 15 with that, as soon as I read it. Unfortunately, this was already written, and it all fits like jigsaw pieces right now. But I will try my hardest to have espionage!bros in this story somewhere! Thanks!

I would shout out to every single one of you, it's just that I don't want to bore you all with a long author's note! So, thanks so much again to Pinnney, missjtchilly27, Aipom4, LaughingSenselessly and Guest for your awesome reviews as well!

**If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review!**


	17. Last Chance To Turn Back

The sky had turned dark.

Korra's stomach was in knots, as she sat in the meditation gazebo and tried to calm her nerves. Asami had left not long ago, sharing dinner with her and the airbenders, but now … she was alone with her thoughts.

She had considered putting on the dinner dress she'd gotten the night before last – put on the fancy shoes, and maybe pretend to be someone else. She'd thought that might help her disconnect from the reality of the situation. Then a part of her had railed against it, feeling like she needed to face it head-on. She'd made a decision, as Avatar Korra, as the Fire Ferret's waterbender – as a girl. Sex with Tahno, and a new future for her friends.

A future where Mako didn't have to work at the power plant. Where Bolin could afford to treat a girl to Quong's if he wanted to. Where Mako wouldn't have to depend on Asami, where …

Korra opened her eyes where she was sitting cross-legged in the gazebo, hands in her lap.

"Is that why I'm doing this?" she asked herself suddenly, frowning immediately. She felt a weight settling in her stomach. "Am I doing this because I want Mako to give me a chance?" she raised her hands and took hold of either side of her head, eyes widening as she considered it.

She thought of that kiss, last week. She'd liked it. She'd felt … gooey inside. Excited and terrified and weak, and so girly that she could vomit – and she'd _liked _it.

But she wasn't like that. She'd never put herself out like this over a guy. Would she?

Korra screwed up her face, shaking her head. "No."

This was for her friends. This was for her friends, who'd worked hard and lived on the streets and slept in alleys, and beaten themselves into fighting shape in order to have a chance to win. And for them to lose, because of a cheating piece of slime like Tahno, because of a bribe, because of a greased palm and a shady referee … that wasn't right. It wasn't right that she'd gotten into this deal to fix it, but it was at least slightly better. The brothers would be better off. Her, not so much.

If it wasn't her first time on the line, maybe it would've been different. If she'd been with other boys, had sex before – maybe this deal with Tahno wouldn't have held so much weight. One screw out of ten, what was that, really? But her first time … it was significant. The last few years, she'd undoubtedly thought of it. Puberty had hit, and then there had been crushes on guards and posters in her room, and radio stories of handsome men and beautiful women.

She remembered staying up late and listening to the midnight stories – the ones where the couple got together - _really _together.

Korra had thought of only ever sleeping with the man she was going to marry. She'd thought of having a string of lovers and never marrying any of them. She'd thought of trying new things and cuddling afterwards, and soothing kisses to numb the pain of the first time. And this past month, since she'd been in Republic City, she'd imagined her first time being with Mako.

Of course she had – she was only human.

But in each thought, each fantasy, it had been with someone she liked. Someone she loved, even. Someone she got giddy thinking about. Someone who would be there the morning after and say 'hello' with an awed smile on their face. Korra had imagined enjoying her first time.

Not in a single daydream had she imagined her first time being with a greasy jerk like Tahno – a guy so crooked he made the Serpent's pass look like a sidewalk.

Out in the bay, the clock on Avatar Aang memorial island ticked ever closer to nine o clock. There were only twenty minutes left.

Korra let her shoulders sag and hung her head, sighing heavily. She'd just have to bite the bullet, it seemed. And there would be other times, one day. She'd date again, eventually, once the horror of this escapade was long forgotten. She'd discount this time with Tahno – and she'd have a real first time, perhaps months, perhaps years down the line.

She clambered to her feet and looked down at herself. She thought of someone spotting her – like last night. Her mind wandered back to the image of her in her dancing dress, which could have been the front page news today. Tahno would be picking her up, presumably in his car. It was doubtful anyone would see them. She sighed – now she was just being paranoid.

Korra turned around and started to walk.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Short little chapter, bit of inner monologue, etc. I know there's nothing happening here, but I really wanted for there to be a final consideration on Korra's end before she ... well, you know. Oh my god, oh my god, I just finished writing the dirty chapters and I feel so guilty and yet really satisfied with the turn out. I really hope you guys like it, heh.

Now, I've been writing the smut, and I have to tell you guys, I think it could be very upsetting to anyone with **rape triggers**. I'm going to label the triggery chapters by putting their titles in ALL CAPITOLS when I upload them. If you are upset by **rape**, **dub-con** or **non-con**, please, please **do not read chapters with ALL CAPITOL TITLES.**

Thanks again to saveg1, LaughingSenselessly, peste21, Pinnney and Guest for reviewing chapter 16!

**Please leave a review and tell me what you think!**


	18. Into the Fray

She'd almost expected for there to be press vans and paparazzi on the other side of Yue Bay, waiting for her. Instead, there was only the same flashy blue satomobile, its driver leaning against it casually, hands stuffed into their pockets. The sky gave an angry growl, clouds rolling in, as Korra stepped off the ferry with a backpack slung over her shoulder, holding a change of clothes, toothbrush and other things she thought she'd need but probably wouldn't.

As soon as she laid eyes on Tahno, a heavy pit settled in her stomach. He was dressed much the same as he had been earlier, in the changing room. Suddenly, she remembered Bolin nearly catching them, and let annoyance coat her face. "You know, if I didn't know better, I'd think you wanted this to get out," she said grimly, lugging her backpack at him.

He grabbed it out of the air with slight surprise, then regained his nonchalant posture against the hood of the car and smirked at her, the bag hanging at his side. "Who wouldn't want to be immortalized as the guy who screwed the Uh-vatar?" he queried smugly.

Korra arched a brow at him, moving toward the car. He had the decency to open the door for her. "More like 'screwed over'," she countered, getting in and grabbing the door right out of his hand, slamming it shut.

He walked around the car and got into the driver's seat, tutting as he did so, dropping the backpack into the space at her feet. Once they were off the road, he chided, "You need to learn to relax, uh-vatar," reaching out across the bench seat and putting his hand just above her knee, fingers brushing her inner thigh through her trousers. She did her best not to react. "Who knows – you might even enjoy yourself," he hummed, sounding at least slightly hopeful.

Korra resisted the urge to remove his hand and put it down his throat, and instead, moved to buckle herself into her seat. "I seriously doubt that," she replied dryly, frowning out the window.

The journey from the pier to Tahno's apartment wasn't very long – but it was more than long enough for her to think of backing out. It wasn't too late yet.

The final was in two days. Maybe she could figure it out without sleeping with Tahno. Then again, she'd known about his cheating for three days now – technically, she was complicit. She should have told someone. Asked someone about it. For once, she thought she shouldn't have tried to face this head-on and alone.

The car pulled up in a private parking lot for the residents in Tahno's building, on the good side of the city. As he killed the engine, Korra unbuckled herself and turned her eyes, narrowed, on him. "Have you sorted things out with the ref yet?" she asked suspiciously, crossing her arms over her chest briefly.

Tahno's pale eyes fell on her with condescending patience. "Nothing to sort out," he answered calmly, while his face curved in apparent delight and his eyes roamed away from hers, trailing down her form and back up again. "I just won't contact him. Let him figure it out on his own," he shrugged vaguely, waving a hand before threading it through his weird side-fringe.

Korra watched him, expressionless for a moment, before she breathed, "And what about your teammates? They won't interfere?"

Tahno chuckled lightly, rolling his eyes. "No. They'll do as they're told," he affirmed, slightly sharply, before he jangled his keys in his hand and let himself out of the car.

Korra got out too, yanking out her backpack and slamming her own door shut. When she turned, Tahno was holding open the door into the apartment building, gesturing for her to go inside ahead of him. She approached with trepidation, turning once she was inside to watch him following her. Her mouth opened, perhaps to say something biting, but the words died at the back of her throat, and instead she steeled her features and turned forward again, facing the stairs at the end of the hall, bending around and up, to the higher floors.

"Mm, what a lovely view," Tahno commented from behind, as she stepped up ahead of him, and she could imagine him behind her, watching her backside like she were some prey animal waiting to be devoured.

Korra held her tongue, wanting to turn and push him down the stairs. "Let's just get this over with," she said tightly.

A second later, his cool, clammy hand was around her wrist – slight tension holding her back. She stopped and looked back and down at him, to see chiding delight carved into his slimy face. "That's not how this is going to work, _Korra_," the word rolled off his tongue in a tone that made her blood run cold – she hadn't been afraid of this, only … wary. Now, she wasn't so sure.

He never referred to her by name. Him doing so made her queasy.

Tahno climbed the three steps between them until his height was looming over her once more. He raised her hand by the wrist, possibly only to show her that he was holding it – that he had her trapped. Korra didn't feel trapped – only dread, cold and heavy like a stone in her gut.

He leant over her, not as far into her space as he usually did, and lowered his voice to a whisper – but not a lecherous one. There was a whole other side to him, it seemed – beyond the lusty, selfish, spoiled, eccentric man child. This side was ice cold. Calculating. Perhaps even remorseless.

"Your side of our bargain," the words came out like warm breath on a cold night, sending a chill across Korra's skin, "was to be _mine,_" that last came out almost forceful, and regrettably, the young Avatar flinched a little, "... until the final. For tonight," he paused, and he hummed in his throat lustfully, which was almost reassuring in the face of this new, icy character he had become in the moment of his victory, "and tomorrow night …" he added, eyes flashing in the dim hallway, "you belong to me."

Korra's brows immediately came down and from somewhere deep within, a blossom of strength billowed inside her. With barely any effort, she snatched her arm out of his limp hold, pushing her face into his space. "I don't belong to _anyone_," she challenged, balling her fists at her sides. "Certainly not you. This is a mutual agreement, and you are not in charge here," she reiterated forcefully, her voice echoing in the stairwell.

Tahno's features slackened with surprise for a beat. Finally they hardened again, this time with toying amusement, and still a hint of megalomania in his eyes. "Whatever helps you sleep tonight," he decided huskily, before turning and making his way up the remaining steps.

Korra's eyes followed him, and soon after, with a resolved strength, so did she.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Ahhhh ... seeing the darker side of Tahno now. I think for him, what he really enjoys is getting in Korra's head and being in control. Not that he doesn't want to screw her - because he does. But I think what he's really into is manipulation. So yeah, the next THREE CHAPTERS will be very smutty, with all those triggers I mentioned last time. Remember, the titles will be in ALL CAPITOLS.

As for the question asked by Guest, dub-con is when the consent during sex is not exactly clear, i.e. one or both of the people involved is not entirely sure if they want to be having sex. Non-con is when one, or both people clearly do not want to be involved.

As always, thank you so much to saveg1, LaughingSenselessly, Pinnney, Autumn and SomethingIknow for leaving such great reviews on chapter 17!

**Please leave a review if you enjoyed this chapter!**


	19. TW: PUTTING ON A SHOW

They stepped into a cold, darkened apartment, empty and silent. Tahno shut the door behind them, just as he reached and flicked on the lights in the lounge. Korra had briefly looked around the room on her way out that morning, but hadn't had a chance to appreciate it from this angle. The room was large, dominated by a large rug in the middle, surrounded by expensive-looking sofas with woven designs on the cushioning. On either side of the back couch, there were two square coffee tables with a fancy radio, a cuboid glass bottle with a rich red-gold liquid in it, and matching antique lamps. They looked as though they'd cost more than everything Korra owned combined.

There was a large kitchenette in the corner, with a separate overhead lamp that was off, casting it in a dim shade of another kind of blue. There were some hints of red around the apartment – mostly the accents of a large dragon-lizard tapestry dominating one wall of the main room, and the coasters on the coffee table too – but Korra didn't think she could see any green at all.

"So," Tahno hummed, his voice seeming to vibrate in his throat, as he brushed past her on his way to a small wooden cabinet pushed up against the back of one of the sofas, "Can I get you anything to drink?" he chuckled, goading.

Korra glared after him, crossing her arms over her chest for a beat, before she let her shoulders down a little and answered, "No. I'd rather be clear-headed, if it's all the same to you," she arched a brow suspiciously at him, shifting her weight onto one hip and tapping the floor with the ball of her foot through her boots.

Tahno laughed haughtily, shrugging, as he flipped open a door and drew out a patterned glass, standing up and moving over to the sofa with the ease of being at home. He put the glass down on one of the coffee tables, before he sank down into the cushioning and flicked on the radio. Korra watched him disinterestedly, as he tuned it to some jazz station and poured from the square carafe into his glass, before sprawling out comfortably and putting up one ankle on his knee, eyes turning to her.

"Are you just going to stand there all night?" he asked expectantly, lips pursing momentarily as his gaze dipped down to her chest for a beat.

Korra dropped her hands down to her hips. "I wasn't aware I was supposed to put on a show," she replied bluntly.

Tahno tutted under his breath, before taking a sparing sip from his glass, still watching her over the lip. When he pulled the drink from his mouth, he was smirking. "What a fabulous idea," he cooed thoughtfully, head tilting as his icy eyes roved her form, studious. Korra frowned hard at him, until his eyes flashed in delight, fixing on hers, lips curled into mischievous amusement. For a beat, Korra thought he was about to start laughing over the smooth, quiet music coming out of the tinny radio. Instead, his voice slow and devilish, he uttered out, "Strip for me."

Korra didn't know it was possible to wear such disdain on her features until that moment. She'd thought she was already giving him her hardest scowl, but apparently that wasn't so. She narrowed her eyes at him, pressing her lips thin. "You can't be serious," she replied tightly, fists balling on her hips.

Tahno's features remained set in stone, his eyes fixed on her like she were a prey animal. It was as if he were already devouring her, with his eyes and his words. He tilted his head at her patiently, pursing his lips very slightly. "I've never been more serious," he murmured, his words hissing out between lazy lips.

Korra clenched her jaw, and breathed in the dank air of the apartment, features still screwed up in disgust as she stared back at him for a long moment. Tahno went silent, as though she were a member of some invisible audience waiting for her to whip off her shirt and magically transform into some sort of red-light district lady of the night. For a beat, she reconsidered that drink he'd offered her – maybe she could benefit from a little liquid courage.

Instead, she snatched her fists off her hips and grabbed up the bottom hem of her shirt, meaning to yank it off over her head and then throw it forcefully in Tahno's face – hopefully knocking his drink all over him.

"No," Tahno suddenly scolded, his voice sharp and warning.

Korra froze, features slackening immediately, eyes widening and landing on his again. When her gaze settled on him, she was faced with icy blue eyes that seemed deeper in his head than usual, going by the way his brows had come down and his face had twisted into a dangerous kind of sneer, reminding her of a snapping snake.

He tilted the glass in his hand, the syrupy liquid inside collecting on one side, leaving an amber film in the side it had just vacated. His eyes never left hers, as his lips returned to a smirk – which Korra found she rather preferred to that cold, deliberate look he'd just worn, and she didn't really like his smirk much to begin with. He tutted under his breath, chiding, before breathing out, a moan beginning at the back of his throat, "... Slowly."

In the chill of the apartment, the young Avatar felt her cheeks starting to burn, as her confidence started to wither. She supposed it wasn't just about the sex, for Tahno. He wanted to mess with her. Maybe he just liked playing with her head. She grew ever more concerned with his motives, but then let go of her shirt and stepped back, averting her eyes from his as she slipped her feet out of her boots and socks – they seemed like the logical things to start with.

It was as she kicked them over to the front door that Tahno turned up the radio, and the light, smooth music started to sound slow and suggestive to Korra's paranoid ear. She flattened bare, dark-skinned feet on the cold, hard wood floor, stood straighter and looked back to the waterbender on the couch, watching her patiently with his glass near his lips, swilling a sip inside his mouth. When she paused, he made a 'go on' gesture with his free hand, and Korra held back the urge to hit him.

Instead, she dropped her hands to the knot holding her pelt around her hips, fingers untying it as slowly as practicality would allow. The cloth belt slid apart in seconds, and she let the pelt and skirt fall down into a pool behind her. Korra flicked her eyes up to see Tahno watching her, seeming riveted on her. She swallowed at the dry feeling in her throat and hooked her thumbs under the waistband of her trousers, pushing them down tentatively.

She wasn't ashamed of her body. And she wasn't generally shy, either. And, to boot, Tahno had already seen her in several different not-quite-fully-dressed states already, in the last few days. It was different, now. It felt different. Goosebumps rose on her cold skin the second her trousers slid past the curve of her thighs and down into a pool around her bare ankles. Tahno made a long, restrained groan in the back of her throat as her legs were revealed, and Korra felt a wave of nausea pass through her stomach.

Finally, she took hold of the bottom hem of her shirt again, and peeled it up, painfully slowly. She was in control, she reminded herself. She could stop, if she really couldn't do it. As many times as she repeated it in her head, it didn't seem to stick.

It was covering her eyes, as she pulled it over her head, when she heard Tahno humming, pleased, to himself. She tugged off the vest and dropped it to the floor, features screwed up as she met Tahno's eyes again, this time in nothing but her underwear. She dropped her hands back to her hips, trying to stand confidently, even as she wondered if she should continue. The Wolfbat on the sofa drew in a long breath, carefully examining each exposed plane of her skin, rippled with goose flesh in the cool apartment.

"Come here," he ordered, his voice low and husky, as he reached out with the hand holding his glass – now empty – and set it on the coffee table at his side.

Korra let out a shaky exhale that she couldn't remember breathing in, wanting to argue. She wasn't comfortable. She was in too deep – she'd thought she could handle it, and she couldn't. She didn't want to. She wanted to grab her clothes and run. "I-," she started, clenching her fists and letting them drop from her hips as they started to tremor, "I'm not ..."

_I'm not going to do this. Just say it. Just say it!_

"Korra," Tahno said slowly, his almost affable expression wavering slightly.

She dropped open her mouth and drew in a deep breath, telling herself to calm down, briefly shutting her eyes. When she opened them, she steadied her features and let her fists unclench, taking those treacherous steps toward the waterbender lounging before her. As soon as she took the first step, his agreeability returned, and he seemed pleased. She drew nearer, until her naked knee brushed against the fabric of his trousers.

A second later, he sat straighter and there was a clammy hand grasping the back of her knee, and she gasped aloud as Tahno pulled it forward, unbalancing her as he lifted it onto the sofa beside him. She awkwardly put her weight there, cheeks burning brighter at the sudden proximity, hovering in her underwear above him. As soon as her knee settled on the cushioning, Tahno grabbed her other knee and pulled it up too, so that she would be in his lap if she sank down at all.

Korra grabbed the back of the sofa for balance, trying to avoid eye contact as much as possible.

Tahno groaned aloud, before chuckling and landing his palms on her hips, pulling down on them. Korra felt her reluctance playing on her face, before she let herself drop down into his lap. As her muscles softened, his sweaty palms slid up to her waist, cold and new on uncharted territory. She gasped and shifted away from the strange sensation, but he held fast.

"Mm, it's all new to you, isn't it?" Tahno goaded lecherously, as he tipped his head back and tore his eyes from her hovering cleavage to meet hers – and she averted her gaze immediately. One of his hands stuttered further along her skin, past the dip of her waist, to the plane of muscle outside her spine and up to the bottom hem of her bra.

Korra didn't particularly want to make conversation, but she grit her teeth hard together and stared obstinately at the wall tapestry at the back of the main room of the apartment, grinding out, "As if you didn't already know," with bitterness staining her words.

Tahno's hands explored greedily, and she felt him pushing his lips against one of her breasts, before it was followed by the slimy feeling of his tongue. A moment later, his was chuckling lightly. "Don't worry," he cooed teasingly, "I'll be gentle," the word came out like taunt – a sneer – and filled with sarcasm.

Korra growled deep in her throat, and before she could stop herself, she had a handful of his hair in one hand, and she had yanked him away from her bare skin. He made a squeaking noise, jumping underneath her until he leant back into the pressure and she released him, his head resting on the back of the sofa and his eyes filled with fury as they found hers again. This time, she was just as angry.

She leant down over him, features twisted into a scowl. "Don't test my patience," she warned between clenched teeth.

Tahno glared up at her, his face starting to contort, before he bared his teeth – in a grin – and laughed through his nose. "No need to be aggressive," he chided, before he dropped his hands down, and she remained still, trying to ignore him cupping her backside. She brought her brows down harder at him, but he went right on, dragging her down further into lap, until she was deposited right over the stiff mass in his trousers. On a satisfied half-moan, he drawled out, "If you're not into foreplay, I'd be more than happy to take this to the bedroom," at a teasing whisper.

Korra grunted in displeasure, tearing her eyes away from him and biting her tongue hard, between her back teeth. "Let's just get on with this," she said tightly.

Tahno giggled lightly in his throat, fingers kneading idly on her buttocks as he pressed up against her, through his trousers. "If you insist," he leant forward, flinging an arm around her middle and dropping his other to grip her beneath the backside, throwing her well off-balance with a protesting yelp, and then hauled himself to his feet, Korra squirming in his arms, and marched to the bedroom.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Okay, awesome. Finally getting there. Great. So, now you can see, as incredibly hot as all of this is, it's most certainly dub/non-con. Oh, god, I really can't wait until the Makorra stuff starts to kick in, but that won't be for a while -_- One of the things I realized I made a big deal of, while writing about Tahno, is that I mention and allude to coldness and chill when he's involved. It's partly for Korra to be able to see a stark contrast between Tahno (cold) and Mako (warm) when all the plot points fall into place, but also, to me, it makes biological sense because she's not aroused when she's with Tahno. Your body heats up when you're aroused, and if you're not, then you can really feel the cold without your clothes on. Just thinking out loud, haha.

Thank you guys so much for reading this story - I'm so sorry about the slow updates. I've had a rough couple of days, with my stupid internet tanking all the time and other such indignities. Gonna try to take care of it ASAP.

Many thanks to LaughingSenselessly, three Guests, Autumn and DARK-EVIL-GODS21 for reviewing chapter 18!

In response to the former's question: Yes, you could. I've put the title of this chapter in all caps to tag it for triggers, but if you want to skip the next one, you can do that. **Chapter TWENTY ONE will be the next non-triggering chapter!**

_**Thanks to everyone! If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review!**_


	20. TW: NO WAY BACK

He dropped Korra onto the bed unceremoniously, making the pit in her stomach grow in weight as her back first sank into the soft mattress and then rebounded up again. The room was cast in shadow, not a light nor lamp lit. Through the open door from the main room, a single beam of yellow light crossed one wall, leaving the rest of the bedroom in darkness, which was oddly comforting. In the dark, the young Avatar's eyes found the vague shape of the Wolfbat, standing over her and the bed, wrestling off his jacket and shirt at the same time as he toed off his boots. A stray button popped off of his jacket and clattered across the floorboards.

Korra propped herself on her elbows briefly, squinting into the darkness in the corner to where she had seen a clock, earlier that morning. She could hear it ticking, over the thundering of her heart in her chest, but her eyes couldn't find it.

A second later, Tahno dropped his knees onto the mattress and she snapped her eyes back to him, crawling across the sheets toward her. A glimmer of light from the main room flashed in his eager eyes, and she didn't think he'd ever looked more like a predator than right now.

"N-No funny stuff, alright?" she sputtered out as firmly as she could, into the darkness, frowning as his trousered knee brushed against her bare calf and one of his hands landed next to her hip, depressing the mattress.

Tahno let out a throaty chuckle that seemed to rattle the air around them, as he crawled over her legs until he loomed above her, a great shadow against shadows. Something tickled Korra's cheek and she shuddered, raising a hand to swat his fringe out of her face. "That doesn't leave much," Tahno cooed in mock disappointment.

Korra clenched her teeth and tried to glare at him through the gloom, her hand still held up to keep his hair out of her eyes. "I'm serious," she answered sharply, before swallowing a squeak in her throat as he descended to catch her lips with his own. She left her mouth slack, eyes roving away into the darkness again, trying to find the clock once more. It ticked on – infuriatingly quiet.

Tahno's tongue lapped after hers, lips sucking for a beat before he pulled back, slightly breathless and chortled out, "That's your problem," in a rolling, lazy drawl, "Always ..." he dipped down again, aiming for her lips, but she tilted her head away and he only caught the corner of her mouth, "... so," he added, raising a hand and grasping the point of her chin, slowly returning her face toward his, and when her eyes finally returned to his, brows down over them, he finished, "... serious."

Korra leveled him a slightly patronizing look that he didn't seem to appreciate in the darkness. "Business is business," she said dryly.

Tahno hummed, amused, tilting her chin upward slightly, exposing her neck and the dark love bite he'd left two nights ago. "So you never mix business and pleasure?" he queried, sounding somewhat curious.

Korra put up one brow. "You're not pleasure," she answered, her voice flat.

Tahno laughed through his nose, lowering his face down to her neck and murmuring against her skin, "We'll see."

He dropped his hand from her chin, a fingertip trailing down the center of her throat, down between her collarbones and into the dip of her cleavage, as he sucked a fresh patch of the skin on her neck. She let out a soft huff of irritation, but he either didn't hear or didn't care, because he went on to cup his palm around her left breast and squeeze briefly, before sliding his hand along the curve of her ribs, over the smooth fabric, delving between her body and the mattress, under her back.

A second later, a new kind of naked feeling washed over Korra, the familiar pressure of her bra gone, the clasp undone between Tahno's experienced fingers. She felt her muscles winding up as he withdrew his hand, eyes greedy as he pulled the satin away. Cool air rushed the exposed skin as Korra awkwardly pulled her arms out of the straps, before Tahno made a sharp motion that jerked the bed, tossing the bra away.

"I should've thought to buy you some new underwear," Tahno lifted his lips from her pulse, leaving another love bite much like the first, his words coming on a moist breath that caught the wet skin of Korra's throat, making her shiver. He purred out, "There's always tomorrow night, though," before leaning up again.

Korra had managed to drape an arm over her chest carefully, hiding what she could. She growled under her breath, swallowing a retort, squinting into the darkness as he pushed himself up onto his knees, looming above her in the shadows. The glow from the doorway caught his silhouette, in a way that might have been attractive, considering his not-unappealing body. Unfortunately, the light also caught his stupid hair, and Korra fought the urge to roll her eyes.

Tahno bent over just a little, one hand grasping the wrist of the arm slung over the young Avatar's breasts, the other landing lightly on her hipbone. "No need to be shy, uh-vatar," he dragged her arm away, leaning down a little and humming lightly – as she presumed he was studying her breasts in the gloom. "Mm, _very_ nice," he breathed, his voice barely carrying.

Korra exhaled lightly, her irritation starting to get the better of her. "You know, the running commentary is really not doing it for me," she declared sharply.

"Well, I'm having a blast," Tahno countered simply, probably smirking, and then Korra let out a surprised gasp as he hooked the fingers of one hand into the waistband of her underwear.

She went entirely still, clenching her fists where they rested on the bedding, as he paused, almost considering, before he chuckled lightly and leant down a little more, turning his hand between the fabric and her skin, and sliding down tactlessly quickly. Korra felt her fingernails digging into, and then breaking the skin of her palm as his fingers passed over her pubic mound, and the neat circle of curls on it, and found the more sensitive flesh further along.

She squirmed a little, trying to move away, squeezing her eyes shut and listening for the ticking of the clock in the dark. She heard Tahno's trousers rustling, and the faint lilt of jazz in the main room, and then the clock, tick-ticking away, oblivious to her discomfort.

Korra heard herself yelp aloud when Tahno's fingers wormed their way between her folds, cold and clammy and uninvited. She blinked open one eye, and made out the shape of his crooked grin, then quickly shut it again, clamping her teeth together tightly. His fingers moved almost clinically, the sensation new and strange and weird, and there was a slight pinch that made Korra wince.

"Mm, this won't do at all," Tahno's voice, like oil, and still very amused, slithered into her ear from above, and a glorious moment later, his fingers were gone.

Korra chanced a peek, and spotted him leaning over her with his eyes riveted on hers – the top two thirds of his first two fingers captured in his mouth. Korra's eyes flicked from his eyes to his mouth, where he appeared to be sucking and licking his own fingers. Her features twisted for a beat, before she caught on and was almost relieved. After a long, incredibly uncomfortable moment of eye contact, Tahno withdrew his fingers from his mouth, now shining with saliva in the dim light from the doorway.

He flashed her a seedy grin, before he leant up a little and with his dry hand, took the waistband of her underwear and slid them down, just past her hips.

Not long after that, there was a cold, slimy feeling, pressing and probing between her lower lips and she let a plaintive whine escape as she squirmed a little, pressing her knees together.

Tahno growled under his breath, somewhere between patronizing and taunting, even as his fingers stroked and teased the moistened flesh between Korra's legs, "You're so impatient," rolling the words like a drink in his mouth, and then went silent for a beat.

Korra jerked in surprise and discomfort, biting her tongue to remain silent as his fingertip pushed its way between her lips, up into the warmth inside her. Her entire body was stiff and taut with nerves, her eyes screwed shut and her mouth an 'o' of shock. She was still trying her hardest not to stop him with the first one when he slid in a second beside it, and she gasped in loudly, snapping her eyes open and staring at the ceiling.

Tahno laughed – and it traveled down his arm and into his hand, and she could feel it, inside herself. It was strange and uncomfortable. "You're so warm and tight," he purred, as though she were a gift that he was unwrapping, "I can't wait."

Korra's eyes flicked to his, and she tried to put on some disgust, but she was sure she looked like a lost, injured animal instead. She opened her mouth, and was about to say something – ask for a break, or a pause, or a really heavy drink. Instead, she shut her mouth again and felt her jaw ache with how hard she clenched it. "Do it," she said thickly, her body anxious and trembling. "Just do it already."

She couldn't take the mind games anymore – she'd spent days expecting this, worrying about it. She wanted it over, at least for the night. She wanted to go to sleep and forget all of this.

Tahno grinned at her, eyes sparkling with glee, and he pressed his fingers deeper into her for a beat, eliciting a discomfited moan, before he removed his hand entirely, and grabbed both sides of her underwear and tugged them down roughly, making her startle slightly. He slid them off her ankles and discarded them to the floor, and in the dark, Korra heard the jangling of his belt coming undone, swiftly followed by a zipper and an eager groan.

He leant into the light long enough for her to see him drawing a small foil wrapper out of the pocket of his unfastened trousers and tear it open with impatient zeal. He drew out the condom, and Korra's eyes followed it out of the light, to the darkened shape of his swollen member, now free from Tahno's trousers and underwear, all pushed down out of its way. She couldn't make out its size – not that she had any frame of reference. She hoped against all hope that he wasn't very large.

Tahno placed his hands on her knees and pulled them apart unceremoniously, then leant right down over her, almost covering her with his body, his face only inches to the left of hers, cheeks almost brushing. His breath caught in the shell of her ear and she drew a shuddering breath, preparing herself, trying to relax. Tahno's lips brushed her ear and she cringed, before he whispered darkly, as if holding in a throaty laugh, "You're mine," as she felt his member through the condom, curiously warm against her slickened folds, pushing insistently – and her body reluctantly allowing it in.

And a moment later, he was sheathed in her – in one sharp buck, he had entered her, so suddenly that a shout tore itself from her throat and pain blossomed through her center. Her hands went up immediately, grabbing Tahno's shoulders offensively as her breaths came in short, shocked bursts.

He seemed too preoccupied with a loud groan that was lost in her shout, his head hanging and his chin resting on her collarbone for a beat. Korra sank her fingernails into Tahno's shoulders, wriggling with the pain – but that only seemed to make it worse. Tahno lifted himself back up onto his hands and pulled back, which provided a modicum of relief, before he plunged back in, with just as little care as the first time.

Tears pricked in Korra's eyes as she shouted again, this time a sharp cry of, "No, wait, stop!" on a panicked gasp.

Tahno gave a short, condescending bark of a laugh, putting a sloppy kiss to the apple of her cheek, still focused on his own movements. He pulled back and plunged in twice more, each time bringing about a cry of protest from the Avatar. "You'll get used to it," he said sharply against her skin, grunting as he pushed into her again.

Korra contained her shout, digging her fingernails into him as a strangled moan dragged its way out between her lips, as she tried her hardest to calm herself. Her body was rocked by yet another thrust, and another, and she felt her jaw burning from how hard her teeth were clenched. It was every bit as terrible as she'd thought it would be.

The tears in her eyes slipped past her lashes, trailed her temples and disappeared into her hairline, just as Tahno leant up and grasped her chin between thumb and forefinger, lips descending hungrily on hers as he used her body, pumping roughly with loud groans of pleasure.

Korra screwed her eyes shut and broke Tahno's skin beneath each of her fingernails.

She listened for the clock, and counted the ticks as they went.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Aaaaaand there it is. **Full disclosure**: there's a tiny bit more TW stuff in the next chapter, but it's a dream sequence. It won't be tagged because it's actually quite vague, but I just wanted to let you guys know beforehand.

You guys leave such fantastic reviews!

**LaughingSenselessly**: Thanks so much! The symbolism was almost inadvertent, but once it was part of the story I couldn't turn back. It's a very useful contrast that comes into play almost immediately. I can't wait to get into the romantic stuff with Mako! I need to be careful with it, because I think Korra would be particularly shut off to romantic advances after an ordeal like this one. We'll get there in the end!

**Pinnney**: Haha, I guarantee there will be a very angry firebender when he finds out about it!

**missjtchilly27**: You'll have to read and find out! ;) Korra's a great character for this kind of plot. She's tough enough to question it, but she's also insecure enough to go along. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Mrf**: I don't know ... Tahno's pretty slick ;) It's all about the power play for him, and partly about manipulation. There's some tricks left in him yet...

Thanks so much to DARK-EVIL-GODS21, Jessa Silvertress, Guest, Firelorddanny and Autumn, who left lovely reviews on chapter 19!

**If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review!**


	21. A Hasty Escape

Afterwards, Tahno wordlessly and breathlessly removed himself from Korra, leaving her feeling exposed and sore, and clambered up from the bed, walking stiffly toward the bathroom and then shutting himself in. Still reeling, the young Avatar lay on her back for a long moment, eyes still shut as she pulled her legs closed and tried not to focus on the dull pain that remained after Tahno left. The clock still ticked on, and Korra didn't remember how long she had taken it – it had seemed to go on forever.

Finally, she raised her trembling hands from where they wrung the bed sheets and covered her face, throat tight and eyes stinging. Korra drew some long, shuddering breaths, before she tipped her knees to one side and let herself roll onto her side, and then onto her stomach, ignoring the ache in her body as she pushed herself onto her hands and knees and crawled tiredly to the pillows. She slid beneath the covers, keeping her back to the bathroom door and curling in on herself.

Not very much later, Tahno stepped out of the bathroom – she heard him, didn't look – and climbed into bed as well. She felt him approaching her from behind, heard him give a long, satisfied sigh, and when she felt him land a hand on her bare back, she let fury own her features.

"Don't touch me," she seethed into the darkness, not moving, aside from the trembling in her arms and legs.

Tahno was still for a beat, before taking back his hand and moving back to his own side of the bed. "Isn't that what you're here for?" he answered casually, sounding a little annoyed.

Korra balled her fist beneath her pillow. "I'm tired," she replied bitterly.

Tahno hummed a laugh and settled into his own pillow. "Fine," he decided, somewhat impetuously. "Good night."

Korra idly thought that there was nothing at all good about the night, so she said nothing, keeping her eyes shut and drawing even breaths. The clock ticked, echoing in her ear, just like the faint babble of a talk show on the radio in the next room. Tahno seemed to intend to leave the radio on all night, by the way he collected much of the bed covers to his side of the bed and cocooned himself in them. Thankfully, the bed was large and the sheets were larger, leaving enough to cover her.

Each part of Korra's body called for sleep, but the harder she focused on it, it escaped. Her mind wandered to thoughts of Tahno leaning over her, groaning loudly, and then she'd tear her mind away to think of better things – firebending. The feel of a flame in her palm, and the way the heat of battle thundered in her veins. Airbending. She needed to start airbending soon – why couldn't she get it? Tenzin … she probably should have told someone she would be gone for the night – but then, nobody had noticed last night.

Sleep. She needed to sleep.

Korra rolled onto her back, her body protesting with a wave of focused pain as she did, and she let a brief wince cross her face, before she blinked open her eyes and glanced over to Tahno. He was sprawled on his back, one arm draped over his head. His mouth, hanging open, was barely visible beneath the crook of his elbow. Korra glared at him – even briefly considered the consequences of murdering him in his sleep – before sighing through her nose and shutting her eyes again.

It was some short hours later, as Korra had fallen into an uneasy, fitful sleep, still half-listening to the radio, now playing only a fizz of static, that Tahno stirred awake and let out a long, sleepy hum as he shifted on the mattress toward her. She was awake as soon as she registered movement. He crawled beneath the covers over to her, slipping an arm around her naked middle beneath the sheets.

"Mm," he drawled lazily, still seeming half-asleep, his voice husky, "Ready for round two?" he teased, grinning in the dim light of pre-dawn.

Korra turned her head away, closing her eyes again and feigning sleep. Tahno put a wet kiss to the side muscle of her neck, trailing another down to one of the love bites on her skin. Her body was still aching, her muscles sore and her eyelids heavy with exhaustion, even as paranoia filtered through her thoughts.

Tahno chuckled lightly. "I know you're awake, Uh-vatar," he chided groggily.

Korra drew up her shoulders, trying to slither further under the covers. "Leave me alone," she mumbled, the words slipping from groggy lips.

The hand draped over her waist grasped her hip eagerly. "That wouldn't be any fun, now, would it?" he cooed against her collarbone.

Korra smacked her own hand over his on her bare skin. "Get off me," she growled threateningly, vexation overpowering her fatigue.

The Wolfbat was still for a beat, before lifting his face to stare at hers. Her head was turned away, but she parted her eyelids and glanced at him through the corner of her eye, brows down in ire. He was staring right back at her, looking just as provoked, his face slack apart from the angle of his brows and the narrowing of his eyes. "You belong to me tonight," he hissed sharply, fingers digging into the flesh of her hip.

Korra's eyes flashed like fire, teeth making an appearance for a moment. "If you try it, I'll break your fingers," she threatened, her voice barely above a whisper.

Tahno grinned again, delighted for a beat before he shoved himself up onto his knees, exposing their bodies and flinging the covers away in one swift swing of his arm. Korra grabbed for them, but they sailed away from her reach and a wave of cold swept over her exposed skin. A moment later, Tahno was lurking above her, eyes wide and greedy. "And kiss your friends' futures goodbye? I think not."

This time, both of her hips were grasped and he yanked her across the mattress into the space between his naked knees. Korra threw out her hands, thinking of fire, but none came. A second later he delved inside her and she screamed-

Korra jumped awake, eyes open and a sheen of sweat soaking her all over, sticking her to the bed sheets. She was still covered, lying on her back, arms crossed above the covers and short, panicked breaths in her lungs. The room was blue with the light of dawn, and she threw herself onto her elbows to look over to Tahno.

He was still asleep, limbs akimbo where he lay on his stomach, an arm hanging off the mattress toward the floor.

Quickly, Korra sat up and hunched over her knees, gathering her breaths and thrusting her fingers into her hair, her wolftails all hanging, tangled and loose. She swallowed a few times, thanking the spirits that she had just been dreaming, and then a tick-ticking reached her ears. Korra looked up, and now that the sun had begun to rise, casting dim blue light on Republic City, she finally saw the clock on the dresser, telling her that it was half past five in the morning.

Her body was still aching and begging for sleep, but she couldn't relax enough to get any rest from it. She glanced to Tahno, feeling like his prisoner for a treacherous minute, before she swung her legs off the bed, turning her back to him and putting her feet to the floor. Agonizingly slowly, she shifted her weight onto them and got to her feet, each moment expecting him to wake and tell her to come back for him to screw again.

She wasn't sticking around for that.

Korra almost considered showering there, but decided that she couldn't risk him sneaking in, or otherwise cornering her. She needed to get out as quickly as possible, without waking him. She slipped into the bathroom to pee, and then collected her underwear from the floor of Tahno's bedroom, pulling them on hastily, before she snuck into the main room, where the radio was playing an upbeat jazz tune.

She grabbed her rucksack from the floor and withdrew the folded change of clothes inside, before hurriedly pulling them on and shoving yesterday's clothes into the bag. Korra spared no time to fix her hair, only tugging out the tangled fastenings and letting it fall loose. Finally, she tied her pelt around her hips and shoved her feet into her boots, before silently opening the front door and making her escape. As soon as the door was shut behind her, she slung her back over her shoulder and power-walked to the stairs, racing down them eagerly.

Korra exploded out of the building at the ground floor and ran.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Hey guys. My brain is totally frazzled at the moment, but I just wanted to update so you could read this chapter. Don't have much to say, just hope you guys like it! I also really hope everyone was okay with the brief dream sequence.

So let me know what you think!

As usual, many thanks to LaughingSenselessly, several Guests, Raavaxvaatu, Pinnney and Autumn for reviewing chapter 20!

**If you enjoyed, please leave a review!**


	22. Breakfast Tension

Korra arrived at the pro-bending arena just before six, and was there when the caretaker unlocked the doors, greeting the man vaguely before scurrying inside and making for the changing rooms. She felt uneasy even about going to shower there, but reasoned with herself that Tahno was probably still fast asleep at his apartment. An image of him molesting her in the shower attacked her mind, but she refused to let it scare her.

The lights were on in the corridors, illuminating the bright red carpets and taupe walls, leading her to the changing room. She let herself in and immediately locked the door, dropped her bag at the foot of her locker and made for the shower stall. Korra tugged off her clothes with a new kind of roughness, frustration boiling in her blood as she discarded the items to the bench. She stepped into the shower and turned the water to its hottest, hoping to burn away the soreness left in Tahno's wake.

As hot as it was, it was soothing after the overwhelming coldness of Tahno's apartment, and his skin, and his touch. It was different – it felt wholly opposite to everything that had happened last night. Korra scrubbed at her reddened skin and hair with little care, turning in the spray of the shower to let the heat permeate her body. Hot tears stung in her eyes when her mind traveled back to Tahno's bed, but she drew a breath and willed them away.

She was strong. She wasn't afraid. She was the Avatar.

A few days ago, she'd thought of Tahno as nothing but a slimy rat, an insect. Not even a rival. He had been nothing. And now, the very thought of him made her feel sick, and … weak.

Korra switched off the water and got out of the shower, trudging across the tiles to locker. She stooped and took the key from her rucksack, stood, and unlocked it. Inside, her towels were rumpled over her training gear at the bottom, white and inviting. She grabbed them and wrapped herself up in them, sitting down on the bench for a beat to collect her thoughts.

Practice wasn't for another hour, but the bending brothers were probably already awake. As soon as the thought occurred to her, Korra's stomach gurgled insistently. There was no use in putting on all her training gear only to wait for a whole hour for Mako and Bolin to get ready. There was also no harm in mooching some breakfast. She knew they weren't particularly well-to-do, but she couldn't imagine her having a nibble on some toast would do them much damage.

She pulled on her clothes for the second time, after rubbing herself dry, and carefully raked her fingers through her hair, heating her hands with firebending to steam away the moisture in her tresses. She fastened her hair back into wolftails, not particularly focused on the slightly bedraggled look that they achieved, without a brush being handy. Her towels and rucksack stuffed back into her locker, she left the changing room and tried to remember the way to the stairwell up to the brothers' attic apartment.

When she finally found her way to the darkened stairwell and followed it up to a narrow door, she put her ear to the wood first, to be sure that she wasn't going to wake her teammates. She could hear some scuffing noises – footsteps on wood, she guessed – and a faint, crackling babble of radio voices.

Emboldened, she raised a hand and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Mako's voice called, muffled through the wood.

Immediately, Korra felt lighter, more at ease. "It's me!" she answered, the corners of her mouth almost tilting up for a beat.

There was a pause, before she heard the door handle clicking and it swung inward, revealing a surprised-looking firebender. The smell of cooking hit Korra's nose, followed by the sight of the pot-bellied stove just inside. Mako was staring at her, barefoot, in only his trousers and vest, his hair falling unusually flat, seeming confused.

"You're early," he said flatly.

Korra smiled sheepishly and shrugged at him. "Yep."

Mako arched a brow at her, and then his eyes shifted down from hers a fraction, and then his eyes narrowed a little. "I see you've had a busy night," he sounded annoyed.

Korra's smile fell a little, and she raised a hand to her neck, cupping it over the skin anxiously. She couldn't think of a snappy retort – he was right.

Mako frowned at her, still looking confused, before he stepped back and sighed, pulling the door open. "Come in. Bolin's still asleep," he raised a fist to his mouth and yawned at it, blinking a few times. She stepped in, reluctantly dropping her hand from her neck and reaching across herself to hold onto her elbow as he shut the door behind her. He crossed the room to the stove, where a pan was heating. "Did your boyfriend feed you, or is that my job?" he asked, a little coldly.

Korra's features slackened a little, and she tried her hardest not to feel hurt. She felt oddly fragile today, it seemed. Usually, she'd have a comeback at the ready – today, his sharpness was getting to her a little. "I'm fine," she said simply, scratching her elbow.

Mako looked back at her, still frowning. Then he said flatly, "Something's up with you."

Korra drew up her shoulders, opening her mouth to protest.

Mako's face screwed up a little tighter and he looked further displeased. "You look tired," he stated dully.

Korra swallowed and then cleared her throat. "I am tired," she answered, finding her voice at last, then angled her brows down a little. "It's six in the morning and I rushed over here to make up for being late the other day," she tried on a vexed tone that sounded more like herself than she'd felt all morning.

Mako's expression softened a little, like he'd decided she wasn't an impostor after all. "Duly appreciated," he answered with a brief shrug, turning back to the heating pan and taking an egg out of the bowl on the table at hand. "Although training starts at seven, not six," he reminded.

"I know that," Korra rolled her eyes, putting her hands on her hips, feeling braver with each annoying thing he said.

"So why are you here so early?" Mako asked without intonation, cracking the egg on the side of the pan and emptying the contents into the pan, giving off a sizzle.

Korra groaned under her breath and made her way over to the sofa by the window, trying not to notice the soreness she felt when she walked. She sat down and leant into the cushions, exhaling softly. "Why do you care?" she answered after a moment, reveling in the heat coming off the stove in waves.

"I don't," Mako replied curtly.

"So shut up," Korra advised shortly.

Mako looked over, frowning at her, before falling quiet. There was a long silence, and he turned his attention back to his cooking. Finally, he spoke again, just as Korra had started to doze on the sofa. "I saw Asami the other day," he cleared his throat awkwardly, not looking over.

Korra blinked open her eyes a little, lifting her head from where it was lolled against the sofa back. She cringed inwardly and looked over to the table beside the couch, catching the black and white print in the corner of her eye. The newspaper Asami had brought to her yesterday sat folded on the tabletop, the photograph facing up.

"You're not going to lecture me too, are you?" she asked, as a yawn pulled out of her head and her eyelids fell closed again, tucking her hands together in her lap.

Mako made a kind of reluctant noise. "Not like you'd listen," he replied on a breath.

Korra frowned without opening her eyes. "I listen," she answered, offended.

Mako scoffed aloud. "Your boyfriend's bad news, Korra," he warned testily, then gave a kind of peeved grunt.

Korra growled under her breath. "He's not my boyfriend."

"Oh, sorry," Mako apologized derisively, before correcting sardonically, "I meant _soul mate_."

A loud groan of shame escaped Korra's mouth, and she raised a hand to cover her eyes momentarily. "Great, she told you all that junk I said," she murmured with a wince, before sitting up and leaning on her elbows. "I really don't need this right now, Mako," she sighed wearily.

Mako let the spatula clatter loudly in the pan before turning toward Korra and marching for the ladder up to the crawlspace above, where he and Bolin typically slept. "Whatever," he grumbled, his pale brown eyes critical when they landed on hers, grabbing a rung and hoisting himself up to wake his brother.

Korra put her head in her hands and squeezed her eyes shut. Everything would be better after the final.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Finally, I've updated! Today is my birthday, so I'm taking a break from my family to post for you guys. Mako is a bit sharp today - you'll find out why soon. Korra is more than a little on edge, but I didn't want Mako to get too nosy right away. The first draft of this had her telling him the whole thing and then I thought, 'no, no, reel it in. Drag it out'.

I always feel bad when Bolin doesn't get much dialogue, but it's a makorra story - what are you going to do?

I would totally take the time to name all my wonderful reviewers, but I'm in a bit of a rush to get back to my people, so I will, instead, give you_ a little teaser for the next chapter_, to make up for it!

* * *

><p>Mako stiffened a little, glancing over to his brother almost critically.<p>

"Keep your shirts on," Butakha smirked at each player in turn, "I'm not here as your landlord. I'm here as a probending official, come to see my finalists."

Bolin and Korra came nearer to Mako, each taking a side facing the arena owner. The older man rubbed his hands together as Mako cleared his throat awkwardly. "Everything is as it should be, isn't it?" he asked with hidden trepidation, crossing his arms a little defensively over his chest.

* * *

><p>Ahaaaaa :D<p>

Again, I really wish I could thank you all, but I gotta go!

**If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a review!**


	23. An Invitation to Dinner

Breakfast was sporadically tense. Bolin did a lot to diffuse the clear disgruntled vibe Mako was giving off, and Korra was both too tired and too distracted to pay much attention to his attitude. She shoveled her scrambled egg into her mouth and made humming agreements each time Bolin suggested a play idea or tactic, speaking only enough so as not to seem antisocial.

After that, they semi-silently made their way down from the attic to get geared up and head for the gym.

They trained hard, with neither Mako nor Korra going easy on each other. Something had evidently flown up Mako's nose this morning, and Korra was more than a little eager to take her mind off other things. Unfortunately, her mind wandered back against her will, and her bending was unfocused and sloppy, earning her some blows she might otherwise have dodged.

She was picking herself up off her stomach when there was a knock on the door into the gym, and she heard herself gasping aloud, a wave of panic washing over her. Her eyes flicked to the clock on the wall before she even thought of looking to the door. The clock told her it was still two hours too early for it to be Tahno and his crew, here to psych them out. She looked over to the door, where Mako and Bolin were approaching a bald man in a wide-rimmed had and green suit. She remembered him as Butakha. He had once claimed to 'run the whole pro-bending shindig', but Bolin had later explained that Butakha was merely one of the shareholders of the aforementioned shindig. He was also the owner of the arena, which gave him veto power.

"My little street urchins are coming up in the world!" Butakha chortled on his way over to Mako, one hand outstretched. When he reached the firebender, he patted the teen on the upper arm almost supportively, but there was something self-gratifying about the way he did it. "You boys look like you're at the top of your game," he said appreciatively, then his eyes shifted to Korra as she came near, "And your new teammate is racking up fan favor," he thought aloud.

"Was that a compliment?" Korra asked nobody in particular, pulling a face.

Bolin shrugged at her, putting a hand on his hip. "Rent's not due for another week," he commented, slightly apprehensive.

Mako stiffened a little, glancing over to his brother almost critically.

"Keep your shirts on," Butakha smirked at each player in turn, "I'm not here as your landlord. I'm here as a probending official, come to see my finalists."

Bolin and Korra came nearer to Mako, each taking a side facing the arena owner. The older man rubbed his hands together as Mako cleared his throat awkwardly. "Everything is as it should be, isn't it?" he asked with hidden trepidation, crossing his arms a little defensively over his chest.

For a beat, Korra felt her blood pressure rising, wondering if someone had spilled on Tahno's cheating – or worse, on her deal with him.

Butakha laid her fears to rest. "Everything is fine," he waved a hand dismissively, "Demand for tickets to the final is so high, we've been able to triple the ticket price," he grinned at them, and although they looked indifferent, he went on, "And every seat in the house is sold. Rumors are going around that kids are gonna be selling tickets at the door for six thousand yuans a pop," he shook his head, looking distracted.

"What does all this have to do with us?" Korra piped up, agitated.

Butakha flicked his eyes to her, then smiled again. "The other shareholders and I have organized a little pow-wow tonight at the Four Elements Hotel," he explained matter-of-factly, with a brief and vague hand gesture, "For the officials, the players, their sponsors, and a few very rich fans. There'll be dinner, dancing, drinks, the whole shebang. We've even booked all the players expensive rooms for the night – need your rest before your big day, after all," he held out his arms invitingly, "What do you say?"

The first thought that crossed Korra's mind was that it was a possible excuse for getting out of tonight with Tahno. The second thought was the glaring image of an army of equalists raiding the hotel and taking countless people hostage in a show of protest against probending.

"Is that even safe?" Korra blurted, frowning sourly and putting her hands on her hips, "You know Amon already has it out for us."

Butakha smiled patiently at her. "The Chief of Police was kind enough to extend her protection of the final to its promotion dinner," he answered calmly.

Mako was the first to speak after that. "I have plans tonight," he said dully, sounding bitter.

Butakha actually snorted derisively at the firebender. "Well your plans better make other plans," he stated haughtily, and Mako looked both surprised and affronted. "Your attendance is mandatory."

Mako glared at Butakha, his lip curling a little. "What if we don't show?" he asked tightly.

"Then you lose the tournament," Butakha smiled innocently. "The Wolfbats have already RSVP'd."

Korra felt her stomach stirring even as relief hit her. If Tahno had agreed to this thing tonight, there was no way he was expecting another disaster like last night tonight. She was home free. They were going to win. She glanced to her teammates, who wore matching expressions of reluctance. She cleared her throat hopefully. "Come on, guys. It'll be fun," she pushed enthusiastically.

Mako grunted under his breath, then exhaled slowly. "Fine. We'll be there," he fixed Butakha an agreeing look. "Not like we have a choice," he added.

The man smiled brightly, raised a hand and took the edge of his hat's brim, lifting it briefly off his head. "Fantastic," he nodded agreeably, eyes flitting to each of them in turn. "Check in at six o' clock, wear your best duds – bring some arm candy, if you want," he made a vague gesture before turning away and sauntering for the door.

As soon as Butakha was gone, Mako went back to his training position and pinched his face in apparent irritation. "A little forewarning would've been nice," he commented at a grumble, a fireball blossoming in his outstretched palm.

Korra shot Mako a curious look as Bolin went back to his own position. The earthbender heaved an almost satisfied sigh and answered, "Think of it as a pleasant surprise, Mako," with an air of enthusiasm. "When else will we get an all-expenses-paid dinner and room at the Four Elements?" he pointed out.

Mako gave a brief, reluctant smile, before his eyes landed on Korra and his expression slackened a little. He seemed to study her for a beat, and as soon as she turned around and made for her own practice position, he said flatly, "I guess you'll be bringing the mysterious Wong Lee as your date tonight. Can't wait to meet him." He flexed his fingers beneath the fire above his hand, and for a beat, the glow on his face and training gear made him look almost menacing.

Korra took her spot and shot him a disbelieving expression. A few replies crossed her mind, but the one that took root in her mouth was a stern and dismissive, "I'm not inviting him."

Mako's grim look held steady for a beat, before he looked indifferent again and looked away.

"That's great news," Bolin decided cheerfully, and Korra looked over to see him grinning amicably at her, "because I don't have anyone to go with. You want to be my date?" he offered hopefully, before raising a hand and swiping it across the air firmly, "you know, just as friends."

Korra smiled immediately, and chuckled lightly. "Sounds good to me," she agreed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **So sorry for the wait. I just saw the Finale and I hated it. I hate korrasami, I think Asami is only a plot device and I wish I had just stopped watching right when she showed up at the end. Mako and Korra had a moment, and then it was totally killed. I feel like Bryke sold out because Korrasami has become so popular, and that Makorra was shipteased all through season 4. So, here's some Makorra to brighten your day!

Sorry to anyone feeling as shitty as I am right now - feel free to PM me! The worst bit, for me, is the Korrasami victory posts being tagged in the Makorra tag on Tumblr. I feel like the ending was a total twist made to please the majority.

Thanks so much to , saveg1, LaughingSenselessly, Pinnney, LOVER29, Guest, FireLordDanny, Raavaxvaatu, Mrf, TigerLily2214 and BzzyBee for reviewing chapter 22!

**If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review!**

**VIVA LA MAKORRA**


	24. A Little Heart to Heart

By the time the Fire Ferrets finished practice, Korra was more than ready to take a break. It seemed the more she moved, the more pain she felt in her center. She was sore and achy, and every time she stepped a little too confidently on her left foot, a twinge would burn hot in her core. Last night had been rough, both on her mind and her body. She supposed perhaps another shower would help, but the thought of taking off her clothes again held little appeal.

When she got to the ladies' changing room, Korra pulled off her training gear with little ceremony, hurling it into her locker and tugging on her day clothes. Another pinch of discomfort pulsed between her hips and she winced, frowning as she set down her arm guards on the small shelf inside the locker. The pain faded back to an ache, and Korra put her palm to the locker door beside hers, leaning forward and pressing her forehead against the cool metal.

It was over. After the final, tomorrow night, she would never see Tahno for as long as she lived. And yet, when she dropped heavy lids over the blue of her eyes, the only thing that she could think of was the image of his body crushing hers, cold and damp, and the way he groaned each time, and the pain that still burnt in her middle. She could still hear the clock ticking in her head, the quiet chatter of the radio in the next room.

_Korra._

And him saying her name. She'd take 'uh-vatar' any day, over the way her name had slipped off his tongue like a lewd remark – a dirty slur. She didn't think she'd ever enjoy the sound of her own name again. Fire burned behind Korra's eyes and a second later she pulled back from the locker and swiped her hand across them, saltwater wet on her knuckles.

_Korra?_

She screwed up her face, drawing a deep breath. It was over. It was over, and she wasn't afraid. She _wasn't._

"Korra," the sound exploded in her ears this time, at the same time as something landed on her bare shoulder.

She stumbled away before she could stop herself, an arm swiping for the weight on her shoulder, and she thought of fire again, panic surging through her blood. The door. She hadn't locked the door. A loud, short scream jumped from her mouth as her feet tripped over each other and she tumbled to the tiles. The impact sent another pulse of pain through her body, and there was a flash of Tahno's image over her and she squeezed her eyes shut, throwing an arm again. Fire was her instinct, and she was afraid. She was absolutely afraid, but she wasn't going to let it happen again. He wasn't going to touch her again. Her eyes remained shut but she felt the heat of the fire against her arms.

This time, the shout that echoed in the changing room was not hers.

It also wasn't Tahno's.

Mako staggered back, yelling and clutching his arm to himself. He had changed into some casual clothes – some trousers and a vest – and now, the skin from his wrist to his elbow was blooming bright red. The backs of his knees knocked against the bench in the changing room and he let it take him into a sitting position. He clenched his jaw and yelled again, hunching over his arm, turning his back to Korra.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he shouted angrily, through clenched teeth and a pained wince, not looking at her.

Korra blinked open her eyes on the floor, still breathing hard, hands outstretched toward him. She took a few more gasps before she sat up, eyes drinking him in. "Wh-," she stopped, swallowing and staring at him, shock dawning on her features. "What are you doing in here?" she shouted back, clambering to her feet.

Mako groaned through his tensed jaw, finally glancing over, his features contorted in pain. He looked about to yell back, but instead, a weak groan escaped his mouth and he pulled his arm away from his middle, just a fraction. He grunted out, sounding almost embarrassed, "You really hurt me."

Korra stared at him for a beat longer, before she hesitantly clambered to her feet, trying to ignore her own discomfort and dispel the mental image of Tahno intruding on her in here. She approached gingerly. "You scared me," she admitted, without inflection.

Mako looked up, expression still pinched. "I did knock," he argued halfheartedly, with a tiny grunt afterwards as she reached out and touched his elbow.

Korra sat down beside him, holding out a hand to him. He groaned a little, leaning back and withdrawing his burnt arm from his vest. It looked raw and red already. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, face twisting in shame as she saw the damage she'd done.

Mako very gingerly extended his burnt forearm to her, and then gasped when she put her fingertips to the pained area. He glanced to her eyes again, features screwed up. A shaky sigh escaped his mouth. "You've been on edge all morning," he said simply, shutting his eyes briefly.

Korra reached for the shower cubicle, bending a globule of water from the shower head. It swished over quickly, even though water dripped from it onto the tiles, its edges sopping relentlessly. Water soaked Korra's boots as she guided the ball to Mako's arm. She tried to focus, wrapping the water around Mako's burn. Deflecting his comment, she queried, "What did you come in here for?"

Mako dropped his eyes down to her healing work, his features softening as the water started to glow. "I just got off the phone with Asami. She wants us to go over to the estate to have our measurements taken," he explained, sounding distracted, "she's having some clothes made for us, for the dinner tonight."

"Mm," Korra acknowledged, frowning as water dripped away from where she was trying to heal Mako, "Okay."

Mako drew a slow breath, lifting his eyes from the glowing water to Korra's face. "Are you … okay?" he asked reluctantly.

Korra was silent for a moment, before she answered bluntly, "I'm fine."

"You don't seem fine," he countered, his tone calm.

She paused, before glancing up and meeting his eyes, her brows down over her own. She considered for a moment, drawing slow breaths, before she looked back down and said quietly, "I slept with him."

Immediately, Mako replied, "I figured."

She snorted, features twisting bitterly.

He frowned, looking somewhat annoyed, before he answered slowly, "I didn't catch on right away," sounding as though he wanted to make her feel better. "But then you were here early, and I figured you'd come straight from ..." he trailed off and then drew a breath, "and you were acting weird."

Korra drew the water away from Mako's arm for a beat, examining her work. A second later, she bent it back around the remaining damage. They fell into relative silence, Korra healing and examining, and cursing her own distraction each time she returned to her work. Mako remained quiet, eyes moving between her work and her face. She could feel the words forming in her head, but she didn't want to say it aloud. She had been in control. It had been a deal.

"I didn't want to," she mumbled, still looking down.

Mako went still, but under her water, she could feel his muscles tensing. Finally, he replied, his voice tight, "So you took off on him? That's why you were early?"

Korra drew the water away from Mako's arm, and saw that while there was no more burnt tissue, there was a vague, silvery scar from his inner wrist to inner elbow. "I thought he'd try it again," she answered through clenched teeth, before she turned away and stood up, flicking the remains of the healing water into the shower stall. She reached for the floor and drew up the large puddle at Mako's feet, throwing that away too.

Mako went quiet, silently examining his arm.

"You can say you told me so, if you want," Korra added bitterly, going over to her locker and grabbing her backpack. Mako looked up immediately, looking affronted. He opened his mouth to argue, but she cut him off by slamming her locker shut.

Mako stood up, frowning hard at her, looking at a slight loss for words. "That's not fair," he said finally, sounding insulted – maybe even hurt.

Korra raised a dismissive hand in his direction, slinging her rucksack over her shoulder and scowling. "Forget it. Let's just go."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Woohoo! Finally! So Mako's not entirely out of the dark, but Korra is opening up a little. She has to tell someone, right? I'm not really sure where I was mentally when I wrote this - but what I can say is that it'll be a little while before the next update. I haven't finished the next chapter yet and I'm a little bit stuck on writing Asami because the finale has thrown me off. I thought I had a sense of her character and it's been really challenged. Oh well. I'll figure it out, but if might take a few days, maybe a week or so. Just let me get past New Years?

All I can say is, the dinner at the hotel is going to be exciting. Korra is wound up tight, and she needs to cut loose a little.

Thank you guys for all the support with the finale! I've had so much positivity since the last update, both on here and on Tumblr, so thank you all for just being awesome.

So! Many thanks to peste21, DARK-EVIL-GODS21, LivingItUp-00, TigerLily2214, ElectroGirl444, Pinnney, Guest, LOVER29, saveg1, LaughingSenselessly, JockoRivera, BzzyBee and MakoYou'reAwesome for all you fantastic, fantastic reviews on chapter 23!

**If you enjoyed this chapter, please drop a review!**


End file.
